Waiting game
by Cafe de Flore
Summary: - What happens when you find yourself asking the "if" question? - With only the very beginning of this story in my mind I decided to begin writing a long one again. I have no idea how it will develop or end, and how long will it take, but I feel like writing something messy, hard, a little darker. Let's see what happens.
1. Chapter 1

- I -

„Oh come on, skip just one day. Let's watch a movie together instead."

Temari stared with disbelief into her boyfriend's hopeful eyes. Hayato flashed a smile. The one he knew would melt her anger at least a little, but this time she did not return it. She furrowed her eyebrows and crossed her hands, her stance clearly demonstrating her irritation, as she grew tired of this topic.

"Staying fit saves my life and the lives of people I want to protect. Plus it's healthy and feels good. So why would I want to skip that? You should join me you know, we could train together."

They have had this conversation too many times to count and seeing how his smile faded, she knew exactly how it will end. He stretched his arms and fell down on the couch.

"Maybe tomorrow…"

Turning away, Temari curved the corner of her mouth, deciding not to touch this subject ever again.

She set out for a run; starting much faster than she usually would she pushed herself some extra kilometers until her lungs started hurting. Resting her back against a training post, she panted dissatisfied. The anger wouldn't leave her body.

_Of all people, shouldn't the one working with shinobis every day be more understanding?_

Temari grabbed her tessen and sent a few precise lashes of air towards the wooden training posts, dug deep into the ground, and one by one they fell down. Grunting with exasperation, she revealed all three of the stars and swung her weapon with all her might, uprooting all of the trunks that still stood before her, repeating until the training ground looked like it was just hit by a tornado.

With a deep sigh, she slowly walked over to the mess she made. Putting the posts back into their place Temari glanced at the blue sky and the setting sun, still blazing and burning her already tanned skin. No clouds.

"Why are all men so lazy?"

_Great. Now I'm starting to sound like a sexist. _

"How come I only know lazy men?"

Grabbing a kunai from under her skirt, the thigh band holding 5 weapons, she swung her body around, leaving deep cuts in the wood where the person's neck would be. Using her tessen as a pivot, she kicked one of the logs to lift herself up and turn her body over in midair, avoiding imaginary attack, and finally swinging her closed tessen from the right side and crashing it against the remaining posts she brought all of them down. She stood up straight and looked around, smiled.

It wasn't easy using a weapon of this size effectively in a close combat, and she has been working on that all the time. She wished there was someone to train with; kicking and bumping posts didn't really provide you with enough skills needed for a real fight.

"Could you take a look at my tessen? I think I hit the trunk with a wrong angle and now the screw seems to be a little loose."

Hayato didn't move as much as an inch from the couch when she left 3 hours ago, and now he merely opened his eyes to see Temari was back.

"Sure. Swing by my workshop tomorrow, I'll fix it."

"Will you give me a discount?" Temari smiled playfully, slipping her sweaty body out of her uniform dress right before entering the bathroom.

"Of course. You're my most loyal client, I'm fixing your weapon more often than anybody's else." Sleepiness left his face instantly when his hungry eyes noticed the half-naked body of his girlfriend.

"Maybe it's because you're bad at this?"

"Maybe I did it on purpose so you'd come see me more often?"

"I'm starting to think you did!" Temari shouted over the sound of dripping water and laughed. She smiled to herself, remembering how it all started.

She couldn't help herself but notice a young man in the Tanaka weapon workshop, who didn't even try to hide his stare whenever she came in to get her tessen fixed or upgraded. It was rather hot inside and the guy worked shirtless, but it was his confident smile that got to her. He was later introduced to her as Tamaka Hayato, the son of workshop's owner, and he always made sure to send some flirty looks, as they met more and more often, since the old man Tanaka decided he'd be retiring soon and assigning his workshop to his son. That one time she came back home from Konoha with a ripped fabric of her tessen, she found only Hayato working with weapons; his father decided to spend the day for his hobby – gardening. They laid the tessen on the huge table and inspected the damage. Their hands touched over the ripped fabric and their eyes met, invisible but yet very vivid sparks flying between them. She liked his confidence, but couldn't deny the attraction to his manly frame and husky voice, and when he came over next to her, telling what has to be done to fix the weapon, she didn't recoil from his upper arm lightly touching the skin of her shoulder. Instead, her hand thought ahead of her, tangling her fingers in his greyish hair and pulling his lips on hers, searching for needs to satisfy her sexual frustration, that rapidly increased during the visit with the allies. He seemed like a good choice, his fingers quickly finding the right spots of her body, lips hastily kissing her neck. His hands slid down on her hips and sat her on the table, then proceeded to roll on the condom before he finally eased into her. She closed her eyes, enjoying herself, as he kept moving. Gently, slowly, careful not to be too rough, he made her even more frustrated than she was before. Her legs wrapped around his hips and forced him deeper, telling him subtly what she wants, and as he thrust more strongly, she jerked her head back in satisfaction, and let a small moan escape her lips, that soon followed by his own husky voice as he came right away. She watched the little sweat drops on his forehead, his bulging veins on his arms, which held his body over hers, the way his eyes hungrily looked at her exposed breasts. Even being a little disappointed, she still thought he was cute. He promised to make it up to her, but she didn't take it seriously, neither she really wanted it. One night stands can be awkward as they are, why complicate them with any kind of continuation?

A naked body pressed against her back under the stream of cool water, pushing her forward until her front leaned into the cold tiles. Hayato kissed her neck, just under the jaw, and ran his fingers over her breasts, squeezing them gently. She turned around to face him and her lips met his with passion, lifting one leg around his hips she pulled him closer and raked his back with her nails, inviting him for a session of rough sex she has been craving since the morning, even though she suspected she wouldn't get it if she let him have it his way. His hand slowly caressed her body lines, lips sprinkled her skin with small sweet kisses and Temari groaned from a mixture of arousal and even more – unsatisfactory tease.

He always said he was making love to her. In his definition, it was a slow, gentle, delicate sex, and sometimes she would go with it – just like she did now – until her patience got the better of her and she would sit on top and ride him the way she liked it.

However now there wasn't so much she could do and she moaned silently as he slowly slid in and out of her, staring into her face, having convinced himself the exasperation in her eyes was a positive thing. And she let him torture her until her legs were trembling and she couldn't take it anymore. That was the case now, and when after excruciating 20 minutes Hayato began to move a little quicker, just enough for her to begin climb her own steps of satisfaction, her hand descended down between her legs, desperately looking for way to reach her climax, and he came, kissing her neck and lips while trying to regain his breath.

"Did you...?" He lifted her chin to see her face and did not need to hear an answer afterwards. "Sorry, I'll try even longer next time."

"It's not about the duration, Hayato, how many times do I have to tell you?"

He was a sweet guy, caring and warm, but so damn stubborn when it came to sex. His head was stuffed with some archaic views and there was no way of changing it; she has been trying for almost a year.

_Never again in the shower. _


	2. Chapter 2

- II -

Temari stepped over an empty bottle of sake that laid on top of a dirty T-shirt, next to a broken wooden part of Kankuro's doll. There was a muddy footprint on the fabric, and the trail led to the kitchen where it blended into the dark brown tiles.

_Thank goodness I moved out._

"Oh hey sis!" Kankuro stuck his head out of the bathroom. "What's up?" Soon he emerged whole with only a towel around his hips, and Temari looked him up and down critically.

"I didn't know you were pregnant, congrats." She sneered at him.

Kankuro glanced down to his bulging stomach. "Yeah, I know, I know." He laughed. "My diet is just junk food and beer since you moved out."

"No surprise here, fatty. Where's Gaara?"

She was looking for him after receiving a message about the upcoming mission, but he wasn't in his office nor the training grounds.

"He's in his studio. So how are you? How's that dick of yours?" He ducked laughing just in time as an empty bottle flew towards his head.

"Not even gonna ask me how am I doing?" He shouted behind her back as she carefully made her way up the stairs, littered with clothes and empty food boxes.

"No."

"Bitch!"

"Love you too, Kankuro!"

* * *

"Gaara… How can you live like this?" She shook her head with a little smile, standing in the middle of her little brother's studio, that wasn't as messy as the rest of the house, but hadn't seen a duster for a very long time.

"I spend most of the time at Kazekage HQ, I'm rarely home. Sorry you had to search for me everywhere, but I had to come here to find some documents."

He only shortly lifted his eyes to glance at Temari and continued scanning through a stack of papers. It really seemed he's the happiest when kept busy by various plans, deals and matters, working for the benefit of the village. She smiled mentally, satisfied seeing both of her brothers, her only family, living a happy life in their own way.

"That's alright. What was it you wanted to speak with me about?"

It has been a while since she had gotten a mission and office work was getting monotonous, besides she was eager to go somewhere, anywhere, just to run away from the routine in her sandy village.

Gaara handed her a scroll, wrapped with a green thread – Konoha's trademark.

Tsunade-sama was looking for 2-3 shinobi from Suna to help organize an allied training camp somewhere in the wilderness between Konoha and Suna. For the sake of better relationships and further strengthening of the alliance – Hokage noted.

_Is it getting tedious in Konoha too?_

"I can assign you if you want to do it." It made sense for Suna to send Temari as she have had a long experience of organizing chunin exams. Speaking of those, there was little doubt about who would Konoha assign for this.

This sounded like a long and interesting task, one she could even include Hayato in to stop his complaints about not spending enough time together. Besides, she haven't been in Konoha for quite some time and missed the greenery of Land of Fire as well as some friends.

"Ok, I'll take it. Who's going with me?"

"You can choose up to two people yourself."

"Can I take Yukata and Matsuri?"

They could be annoying and so girlish sometimes, but she knew they were reliable and trustworthy when it came to work.

Gaara simply nodded.

A camp would be placed on the border of the Land of Fire, so most of the planning will take place in Konoha. Suna's representatives were invited to come to begin the preparations.

After informing the girls about the upcoming trip, who both got crazily excited, she went back home to start packing. There was no rush but she decided to leave tomorrow, feeling a little need of change.

Delicious smell of food tickled her nose when she opened their apartment's doors. Hayato was circling the kitchen, running from the oven to the table and back, clearly cooking something fancy.

It was so relieving not to have to cook – what she used to do the entire time when living with her brothers. He greeted her with a kiss and led her to the table, quickly filling her plate and joining with two glasses of red wine. Temari leaned into her chair and relaxed. A simple thing like this was really what she needed after a long day in the office and roaming around Suna in search of Gaara. There was a massive sand storm outside and no one in his right mind went out unless absolutely necessary. Even after cloaking herself in full-covering clothes, her eyes and hair were full of little sand grains.

"Thank you." She smiled at Hayato, who was already eating a second serving.

"There's a hot bath waiting for you." He put on a cocky smile, clearly proud of himself.

Temari smiled, feeling truly grateful.

"What's all this for?"

"Making up to you after yesterday."

"Then I guess I'm gonna have to make up to you for the upcoming week." She smirked, making some plans for the evening.

"Why's that?"

"I have a mission. I'm going to Konoha for a week or so."

Hayato furrowed his eyebrows and disappointment coloured his face. He stopped eating and silently stared at his girlfriend as if trying to guess if she's telling the truth.

"Again? You know I hate it when you're gone for so long."

"I know, but it's a mission, Hayato. It's not like I can pick only the ones I like. It's my job."

_You had a choice this time_ – her subconsioucness whispered – _and you chose to go._

She also chose to ignore that unnerving thought and shut herself off, putting some effort in erasing what it meant. She had other things to think about, there was no point in worrying about what's already done.

"What kind of mission this time?"

"Organizing an allied training camp. I think we could use you too, I'll plan a spot for your workshop. I bet shinobis will be interested in what you do. I'm pretty sure most of them don't know how their weapons are forged."

"That sounds great!" He noticeably cheered up. "I'd love to go to the camp with you. I want to see you fight and kick some asses!"

"Stop being so childish, Hayato!" She couldn't hold back a laugh. His emotions were so simple and natural, and she cherished that, being raised to hide her own feelings and convinced that being cold as a stone is a valuable quality.

It was still difficult for her to show her softer side, almost impossible to reveal her feelings, and even after all this time she couldn't respond when Hayato confessed his love. She felt like she didn't know what love is, and how can you use a word you don't quite understand? But he was patient about it, and that was the main reason they could be together. He accepted her ways.

That night their sex lasted 6 minutes; she was on top; her orgasm was mind-shattering and she fell into deep slumber afterwards, with a satisfied smile on her face.


	3. Chapter 3

- III -

Shikamaru was lying down on the grassy hill, on his favorite spot, cherishing the view above his head.

Life was flowing quite peacefully, there wasn't too many matters to attend to and right now (at least today) he could do whatever he wanted. Just like those fluffy cotton balls in the sky. Or so he thought, until he hear a distressed voice of Konohamaru.

"Shikamaru! Shika…" He fell down on all fours panting, after running up the hill in a hurry. "Tsunade – sama wanted me to find you and take you to her!"

_I need a new spot. Too easily findable._

Without showing the slightest interest, he laid his head back down on the ground again. "What's so urgent?"

"I don't know, but she said she'd let Tonton bite me if I don't hurry!"

Shikamaru smirked. Tsunade had her own style. Then proceeded to get up and slowly strolled down the hill with his hands shoved in his pockets, leaving shocked Konohamaru behind. "Please hurry!"

Lady Tsunade sat behind her desk, overstacked with papers, as always.

_She's way too old to be called a lady… Nor she is lady like. _

Her pig was lying down next to her feet, snoring. So malevolent.

"You're to leave tomorrow morning and deliver this scroll to the Fire Lord. Konoha and Suna will be organizing an allied training camp in the territory of the Land of Fire, so we need his permission as well as some financial aid. Play nice and we might just get it!" Instead of dismissing him just like anybody else after explaining the mission, she stared at him intently, while resting her chin on her hands, waiting for a protest that she knew will come.

"Why me? You can send whoever, it's just a messenger mission." He mentally rolled his eyes, knowing Tsunade will not change her mind, but he could at least try.

"You very well know why, Shikamaru. Now go."

Mumbling something, he nodded his head and left. Of course he knew why – the Fire Lord personally asked him to join a bodyguard position. Multiple times. Doubling the salary with each offer. However, his ambitions lay elsewhere and he did not intend to accept the proposal.

* * *

"Leaving so soon?" Mina purred from the bed as he came back from the shower and started dressing. She pulled the sheets over herself and just laid there, still caught in the aftermath of her orgasm. Her light brown hair spread across the pillow like branches of a tree, closed eyelids hid the light blue eyes in her pale little face. One of her hands laid above her head; there was a little silver ring on her fourth finger.

"Yeah… I have a mission tomorrow morning. Early morning. But I'll be back by the evening, I hope." Shikamaru sat on the bed and tucked his hand under the sheet, reaching for her breast.

"It's like they're assigning early missions to you on purpose…" She giggled as his hand slid over her pointy nipple, and she pushed him away.

"I can only agree…" He smiled and leaned down to kiss her before he left.

"I love you."

"Love you too."

* * *

"Ooh, Nara Shikamaru! What a surprise! Please, sit down. Coffee, tea, juice, wine, sake, anything? Perhaps a cigar? I have bought some from a foreign merchant. You must be exhausted after travelling this far, tell me what you need." Fire Lord's eyes lit up upon seeing Shikamaru and he couldn't stop his endless chat nor energetic gesticulations. "What brings you here to me? Don't tell me you finally decided to accept my proposal?" He got even more excited, and clearly was not planning to shut up and let Shikamaru respond. "Because that…"

"My apologies, my Lord, but that is not the reason." He bowed his head to express his apology for interrupting the old (and powerful) man, but he simply had to before the Lord got even more ecstatic. "Hidden villages of the Leaf and Sand are planning to organize an allied training camp to further strengthen the friendship between the countries. We proposed the wooden areas of the Land of Fire would be a perfect place for such an occasion, providing both the shelter and necessary barriers during the training. Therefore I am here to ask you for your permission on behalf of Konoha." Shikamaru nodded his head again politely, keeping in mind he might lose it if Tsunade deems the results of this negotiation unsatisfying.

"Oh, such a disappointment… But of course, my dear Shikamaru, I don't see a reason why I should not agree to that. But tell me more about the camp! I'm so excited, I hope I will get an invitation to visit it once it has been set up!" He really demonstrated his excitement in his wiggling double chin as he spoke so lively.

"You will receive an invitation without a doubt, my Lord. For now I can only tell you the camp would take a place for about 4 weeks. Any other details are rather unclear as we have not yet settled our budget matters."

"Oh, I see. And do you know how much the Land of the Wind is funding?"

There was a little sparkle in those eyes, barely visible through extra skin that tried to hide them for good in that old fat face. The sparkle seen in Tsunade's eyes as she gambled or engaged in any other kind of competition. _Suna, huh?_

"As for now Suna is the main sponsor, covering for as much as 70% of the planned expenses." That wasn't entirely true. Shikamaru did not know the exact amount of the Land's of the Wind share, but he took a shot, trying to pull the strings of the old man's competitiveness.

"70 you say… That is not right, in our own lands… Then… Then the Land of Fire will provide for 75% of the expenses! And Suna can cover for 25. That's sounds about right, don't you think?"

_Manipulation… success._

"As you say, my Lord." He bowed again, hiding his amusement. He got more than he bargained for. "I shall be taking my leave then."

"Already!? Please stay for a dinner with me. I will show you my gardens; I also own a couple of deer in them!"

"That's very kind of you, but I must go back to report with the Hokage."

"Oh, you keep shooting me down Shikamaru! Ok, ok. Guards! Please escort my guest and provide him with best of our food for the journey and whatever else he may need. Until the next time, Shikamaru! Oh, and my offer still stands of course – in case you change your mind. You know I will be waiting."

_It's like he has a crush on me or something._

* * *

Unlocking the doors of his apartment he realized there already was a key in the lock from the inside. Not surprised at all, he opened it to find Mina in his kitchen, waiting with the food already prepared.

"Hey! How was the trip?" She hopped to the door to meet him. "I missed you already."

"It was alright. Too long, but successful." He smiled and kissed her gently. "Have you been here waiting long?"

"No, just a couple of hours."

_Hours?_

"It's alright!" She hurried to appease him seeing the change in his expression. "I finished my shift early and had nothing else to do, so I came here and tidied up a little, then made you dinner. Aren't you hungry?"

Those two pale blue eyes were looking up at his face, desperately trying to read it, searching for affection and love – feelings she so clearly expressed every moment of them being together. He pulled her closer and hugged her.

"You really didn't have to. I can take care of myself, you could have went out with your friends or something…" Loveable being as she was, sometimes she could be a little overwhelming. He noticed a tremble in her eyes, and added quickly. "I'm not in fact hungry, but I couldn't resist trying what you made."

And the cheerful Mina was back with those few words.

As he silently ate, he listened to her chirping about her maid job and a new coworker who was so clumsy, that she forgot the hotel floor she was supposed to clean and instead went to Mina's floor. His thoughts leisurely drifted off from the conversation, and he remembered the upcoming mission, which he had no desire of carrying.

"After all of the years of organizing chunin exams, you're the most suitable person for this, and you know it, so quit your complaints and prepare yourself for work. Suna's representatives will be here in two days, so I recommend you to pick two shinobis of your liking and begin working with your brain." – Tsunade cut off the discussion.

_Organizing and planning such a thing, travelling for a full day to a location multiple times to prepare, taking care of advertisements, building the necessary constructions… Beyond troublesome. _

_Wonder who is Suna going to send? Is it going to be Temari, following the same chunin-exam logic? That… woman. She's going to eat my brains out. Who else? Cannot be Kankuro and Gaara, I'm sure Kazekage has more important things to do. Who should I pick? Someone from my class? Or younger? I'll need someone accountable, like Sakura or Ino. And someone easily-excitable and hard-working… Which rules out Choji immediately. Maybe Kiba..?_

"…and then my boss started bawling her out until the poor girl almost dissolved into tears!" Mina sighed, bringing Shikamaru back to the reality. She seemed to be caught up so deeply in her story, she didn't noticed he dozed off. As an answer, he gave her a small smile, leaving Mina seemingly satisfied.

"If he ever treats you badly, tell me immediately."

"Who?" She blinked twice, oblivious who is Shikamaru talking about.

"Your boss. If he's being an ass with you, tell me."

"Oh! Oh, no, he's not a bad guy, most of the time he's really decent. Only has a short temper, that's all." She reassured him with her usual smile. Mina was always smiling, that was her way of hiding her true emotions, which she has to be doing all her life. If did not make it any easier for Shikamaru, especially in situations without a background like this one. He couldn't judge whether her boss was a decent guy or a total asshole, with Mina wanting him not to care about that. In her mind, the only way of proving herself independent was being able to handle her problems by herself… or pretending to handle them.

All women were hard to read, whether they were feisty like his mother or Ino or Temari, or they were the exact opposite, like Mina or Hinata. They manipulated, hid things, pretended to be angry or not to be angry when they actually were for whatever reason they could think of. Mina seemed to be so simple and sweet-tempered, so he figured she would a perfect match for him, but even she had her own unreadable incomprehensible feminine side that ordered her to pretend to be always strong, capable of everything and self-dependent. Why on earth did she try to hide the vulnerable side of herself from him he did not know.

But his girlfriend, no, fiancé, wasn't the one who could defend herself always. She also wasn't exceptionally beautiful, which made her an easy prey for some old pervert to take advantage off. If she were prettier and more confident, she might scare off most of the men, like Ino did. If she was a shinobi, she'd have the physical ability to deal with them. But she was a maid, a petite young girl who, in his eyes, needed protection. And the way she tried to deny it only made him worry more. Being naïve in this world usually turns out to be a very bad quality, he knew it, but she chose not to believe that.


	4. Chapter 4

- IV -

Shikamaru shivered, and then tucked his hands deep into his pants pockets. It was still early autumn, but the mornings were freezing. The mist soaked right through your clothes, leaving you with the uncomfortable feeling of being cold _and_ wet. The sun was just about to start rising, and Konoha gates with the surrounding forests sank deeply in soft twilight. This is when he saw three figures appearing in the horizon. All three were feminine, and the one in the middle was, unmistakably, Temari.

He forced himself to relax and not to appear frozen to the bone, lowering his shoulders and stretching his neck.

"Just as I have feared…" He purposely waited until they approached hearing distance to mumble this, before rolling his eyes.

Two younger shinobis who Shikamaru had never seen before exchanged surprised gazes, while Temari stomped forward and stopped right in front of him, staring daggers into his eyes. Playful smile was on her lips, which opened up to speak.

"Did I hear that right, you are afraid of me, Nara?"

Shikamaru stared back from above and the corner of his mouth curved up.

_Still so easy to tease._

Her gloved hands were fisted against her hips, and she wore a dark green kimono dress. It was long, but the sleeves weren't, and he marveled how is she not cold, before he saw little goose bumps on her arms. Her poise though did not give away she was uncomfortable, and he smirked, finding it funny both were doing the same thing.

"Not in the way you think."

That left a puzzled expression on Temari's face, while his eyes fixed on the two girls behind her. He heard them muttering "That's him" a while ago, and now they looked equally confused, realizing he knows.

He stepped to the side and bowed his head a little.

"Nara Shikamaru"

"Yukata" The black haired girl nodded. With her brown eyes and dark exterior she looked more like a Leaf kunoichi than a sand. Could have been Konohamaru's sister.

"Matsuri" Silent voice, rather shy look, bleak complexure, but deep eyes. She seemed to be very observant.

After the introductions were exchanged, they proceeded to the hotel where the sand shinobi will be staying, and the one Mina worked at. Temari and Shikamaru walked in the front, slyly smiling at each other, dropping endless mockeries, while Yukata and Matsuri dragged behind on purpose, silently whispering.

"I had no idea they're like this together…"

"Me neither! It seems they are having a lot of fun insulting each other."

"Totally. That is so weird. I mean I knew Temari has a sarcastic side, but this… It's like a competition against each other or something."

The four silently climbed the steps to the 2rd floor and Shikamaru glanced up the stairway. His fiancé is somewhere on the 3rd floor, and it would be nice to drop by since he's here. He glanced at the Suna shinobi. It will take Temari exactly 15 seconds to drop her things and be ready to go report to the Hokage, but the other girls seemed a little more… girlish.

_If she'd hear my thoughts, I'd be dead._

Exactly quarter a minute later, Temari was back in the corridor closing her room's door behind her. They locked glances from afar. He saw her put her hands on her hips and sigh, turning to face the door Matsuri and Yukata disappeared behind.

Shikamaru started walking towards the staircase, intending at least to glance upstairs, but the last door right next to the stairs caught his attention. There was a strange rumble inside and he saw a girl in a maid's uniform through a little gap.

He slammed the door quickly to find himself in a storeroom. Besides multiple brooms and other cleaning means, there was a maid standing against the wall, her face was marked by fear and her eyes glistened with unfallen tears. In front of her was a man Shikamaru knew as the hotel manager, to whom he has spoken multiple times, booking rooms for Temari countless times.

"I quit!" The girl shouted to man's face, gathering up her courage after seeing she's not alone, squeezed herself through Shikamaru and the doorframe, and run downstairs. Shikamaru stared at the manager. His mind was trying to comprehend the graveness of situation; he wanted to believe this was not happening. He could feel the anger rising up in him, Mina appearing in his subconsciousness. He did not notice his hands clenched into fists as he fought the urge to beat the shit out of him, _old pervert taking advantage of young girls._

_Goddamnit, Mina._

He jumped when a gloved hand firmly gripped his shoulder, and he turned his head to see Temari, who was watching the scene from the middle of the corridor before deciding to interfere.

"Don't."

Her eyes were so green and for a second he forgot what was he supposed to not do.

She entered the room and sent one long look of disgust towards the man, and he shrunk, realizing there was no way of getting out. Temari grabbed her kunai and pointed it under the manager's chin.

"I suggest you nicely walk with us to the hotel owner's office. Otherwise, I cannot promise me or my friend will not hurt you in a way you'll suffer the most." The weapon slowly descended, scratching a line from his throat to crotch, and the man whimpered. Temari scoffed. "You are so pathetic." She spit out every word as if it left a bad taste in her mouth.

Yukata and Matsuri finally descended the stairs to the ground floor, while Temari and Shikamaru watched in silence as the police takes the man away. She glanced at Shikamaru. There was something off about him, he's not the type to get all worked up like that, but she had no plans of getting nosy about it, despite that it did leave her curious.

"Next time I'm leaving without you." She sent a warning look towards the girls who went pale.

"We're sorry, Temari, but Matsuri decided to take a shower…" Yukata bowed her head while Matsuri's eyes popped out.

"…it was _you_ who decided to take a shower! ...first…"

Shikamaru sighed.

_Troublefuckingsome women. And now we have to visit another one._

He opened Tsunade's office door and found Kiba and Rock Lee already there. He decided to pick two guys for there would be a lot of physical work. And because neither Ino nor Sakura were available now, but at least Sakura agreed to stay at the camp in the medical station.

"Finally, you're all here. How was your trip, Temari, Yukata, Matsuri?"

"It was safe, thank you, Tsunade-sama." Temari slightly bowed.

As Tsunade explained the details of what has to be done, Shikamaru's attention drifted off through the window, where one could see the trees that were already painting itself in warm autumn colors. Temari took a quick glance towards him, realized he's daydreaming, and turned her head to him fully. Anger flashed in her eyes, and her arm extended to land a not-so-gentle punch to his side.

"Oy!"

"Tsunade-sama, why did you have to assign him to plan this camp? He's way too lazy for that."

Shikamaru lifted an eyebrow and looked at the sand nin. "That's exactly what I was wondering about."

"Because you can beat him into doing something productive, Temari. You're all dismissed." Tsunade smirked at Temari's exasperated expression, and Kiba, Matsuri and Yukata snickered behind them as they left.

"Shut up you three." Temari grumbled, and Shikamaru grinned silently behind. He _loved_ teasing her.

"Hey."

"Hey!" Mina's arms wrapped around Shikamaru's waist as she buried her face in his chest.

"At least come on inside." He chuckled. "How was your day?"

"You will not believe who checked in today! Temari – san and two other girls from Suna! It has been a long time until we had the ambassador here in our hotel. But you probably knew that, didn't you?" She stood up on her toes, trying to reach for his lips. He leaned down a little, but not quite enough, and Mina puffed exasperated, making him laugh.

"Anything else interesting?" His voice was casually calm and absent-mindedly he stared through the window as they sat on the couch and Mina crawled in his lap.

"Um… Oh! My boss… It seems he got fired." She didn't seem particularly moved by that, simply stated the fact, no hidden subtext.

_How did you not find my question suspicious?_

"Why's that?"

"I don't know…" Her eyes darted down, avoiding his, and the little edge in her voice betrayed that actually she knew.

Shikamaru gently pushed her away and stood up, walked to the window and stared down the empty street, drifting into his thoughts, before he finally decided to lift the subject.

"Why are you lying, Mina? I though you could tell me anything, and now you hide things from me. Why?"

As the silence became bizarre, he turned around to look back at her. She sat where he left her, head down, tears falling from her eyes.

"Mina, come on…" He came back and embraced her, and she started silently sobbing, her shoulders jumping up and down uncontrollably. "Hey…" She didn't cry very often, but once started you couldn't stop her. He hugged her harder, having no idea what to do, besides making a mental note: _Serious conversations are off limits._

"I didn't want you to think I can't take care of myself." She mumbled silently through her sobs. "I want to be strong like your girl friends, and to be able to handle my own problems." She sobbed. "But I can't and now I…"

"Shh, calm down." Shikamaru kissed her forehead as her voice broke. "You don't need to pretend to be whoever you are not, and my friends, they are all nins, they are trained to fight, so don't you torment yourself about all of that. I can and I will take care of you, and you will take care of me. Isn't that right?"

"...yeah, I guess so…" Her small hands wiped the tears away from her reddener cheeks and Shikamaru sighed, wishing she wouldn't play these games, or she actually would be able to take care of herself. _Just like… no, don't even go there._

"So now tell me, what he did to you."

The question was followed by a long pause before she finally spoke.

"He once lifted my skirt and I slapped him on the face. He pushed me against the wall and told me if I ever do that again, I can consider myself fired. After that he… He has grabbed my behind several times but I tried to avoid him as much as possible." Mina raised her apologetic eyes to see a painful expression on her boyfriend's face. He closed his eyes, thinking.

"Let's go."

"Where?"

"Police. You have to press charges."

"No! Shikamaru, no!"

She jumped up in protest, her eyes wide with fear and anxiety, and her voice was trembling. He has never seen her like that before, cornered little animal.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to see or think of him ever again! Please don't make me do this! It's too embarrassing!" Tears reappeared on her face and she backed away until her soles hit the wall. Shikamaru stood up, but realized consoling her this time is futile. His voice became cold.

"I'm sorry, but you have to do it. Please don't make me carry you, because I will."

* * *

Sorry this one took me so long. Work and studies, my loves, work and studies... Hope you enjoy. Not sure if I do... It never comes out as dark as I wish, I'm not cut out for anything else than romance. So boring.

Love,

CdF


	5. Chapter 5

- V -

Temari opened her eyes and a small, satisfactory smile appeared on her lips. It has been a long time since she had such a good night's sleep, and come to think of it, she kept feeling a little tired every morning since she moved in with Hayato. He was so restless, moving constantly during the night, kicking and pushing everything besides him, including her. It has always been a fight for the sheet until Temari got tired and bought another one, but even that wasn't making much difference.

Tonight though she slept as if she was dead and woke up fully energetic. She got into the shower and set the water running, as hot as she could bear. Washing the last bits of sleep from her mind, the water heated her skin until it was flushed with redness; then Temari switched the handle, and clenched her teeth as the icy drops hit her body.

She stepped out feeling fully refreshed, got dressed, fixed her tessen on her back, and left her room. The hotel was still waking up, its corridor was lit with bleak night's lights, but she took off towards the staircase. She passed a maid on her way, a small, skinny girl with light hair and eyes, and a very friendly smile. They said good morning to each other as any staff member would, but the way she stared at Temari made her think whether they have met before. _Wonder if that pervert purposely hired small, kind-looking girls._

"Thank you for agreeing to meet me so early, Lee." Temari waved at the restless Konoha nin, who already looked as if he has been running for an hour even though the sun was just beginning to rise.

"No worries, Temari-san! I always wake early and train!"

She never had any problems with motivation when it came to training, keeping fit or learning something new. She would also start her day with exercises, and go jogging and dummy-training in the afternoon. But this guy, he really seemed tireless, despite the time of the day; whether it was early morning or late evening the only thing he was thinking of was getting stronger. He was a fighter, and she liked that; Temari knew he has walked hot and cold to get into the place where he is now, and respected people who were willing to go as far as necessary to reach their goals, just to set up new, higher ones.

"Shall we begin?"

Temari placed her tessen against the tree, as he energetically nodded. She won't be needing her main weapon today, only her hands, feet and kunais.

They took their positions, and Lee moved his fingers, inviting her to begin the attack. She leaped forward, aiming for his head with her palm, predicting he would dodge, and as he did, she pushed her fist towards his ribs, but Lee was much faster than she anticipated; he dodged that one too, grabbed her hand and pulled her forward still in acceleration, throwing her to the ground.

She puffed in annoyance as she found herself falling, unable to regain balance. Still on the ground, she rested her hand on the dirt and swung her leg, intending to get Lee down as well, but he reacted precisely, jumping up into the air. Temari got up quickly, but not fast enough; she saw his feet flying towards her stomach with frightening strength and speed. She tried grabbing it instinctively to use it as a support to push herself to the side and let him fall to the ground. But again, she wasn't quick enough. She felt a hit, and as pain spread deep inside her, her lungs failed to comply and she gasped for air.

_So much for the dummy training. _

"You're too hasty. Your hits are good and precise, but too impulsive."

Temari nodded. She asked for these lessons herself and was willing to take as much of it as she could. Deep in her mind she was hoping she would be a little more of a match to Lee; but he was top shinobi in taijutsu in Konoha, after all, and she, so it seems, was being very naïve.

Despite all her training by herself, she couldn't even land a single hit on Lee. He was strong, fast, but besides that he was very thoughtful. He planned every step, she figured, and that allowed him to counterattack ideally. Temari paid a lot of attention to that. Besides simply wanting to improve a skill she was lacking, she also had another motive in her mind, and thorough planning was the most important part here. She even declined Lee's offer to do the training during the camp, claiming she will be too busy. The truth was, she needed to be in her form before the camp to be able to kick one particular somebody's ass and get her revenge.

She had secretly wanted a rematch with that annoying lazy ass Nara ever since their chuunin exams. Even though technically she won, but everyone knew he gave up the last second, leaving her in the humiliating position. He acted as if she wasn't even worthy to compete against, kept blabbering arrogantly his sexist stuff about beating girls and inability to let himself beaten by one. As if it was solely his decision who gets beaten during that match. It turned out it was… And Temari never forgot that.

Only until now there was no chance of a revenge. Konoha and Suna were in peace; there were no more competitions between shinobis of their age; if she had offered him to fight, he would have refused, being too lazy. The only challenge he would have accepted was probably a shogi match, but she has played it only twice or so and have heard enough about how no one can beat him in that. _Maybe I need to try that too someday. _However Lee's workshop in the camp, challenge board and her current interest in taijutsu was a perfect combination and the opportunity she had been waiting for.

After two hours Temari looked like she had just came back from a war. Messed up hair, bruise on her cheek, uncountable bruises on her whole body, bleeding knees and palms. And they didn't even got to the kunai training yet. She gathered herself and hurried back to the hotel to get ready for a long day that was still ahead. The six of them were to meet in Hokage's HQ and begin the preparations.

She covered her bruises with less revealing clothes, put some powder on her face to hide the reddened cheek and stepped outside her room to knock on the door in front of hers. Two sleepy faces of Yukata and Matsuri appeared through the doorstep and the two of them moved heavily, following Temari, who was striding down the hallway in hasty pace.

As the hotel door opened and they came out, a figure leaning against the wall of the building in front pushed off the wall and lazily walked over. He was even sleepier than her companions were, but his voice was as stingy as ever.

"Took you long enough."

"I know the way to Hokage's HQ, you didn't need to come pick us up."

Their eyes locked. Lively and energetic teal and lazy, tired dark brown. Despite the visible differences both were shining with stubbornness and principles, and they just stared, competing over who will avert their eyes first.

Shikamaru blinked lazily, turning his gaze towards the village center and beginning to move, arrogantly denying there was a competition in the first place.

"It's on my way."

It wasn't.


	6. Chapter 6

- VI -

Kiba looked like shit. Resting his head on his palm, he was trying not to fall asleep, his eyelids blinking lazily, covering reddened eyes. Akamaru laid besides him on the ground sleeping, sharing his master's feels. Kiba's voice has hoarse when he said "Good morning" before falling into his chair, and one did not need to have a dog's nose to realize he has been partying yesterday.

Shikamaru wasn't the only one eyeing Kiba. Despite his hangover exterior, he caught Yukata's eyes, and she kept glimpsing at him whenever he moved or shuffled in his chair. Kiba was good with the girls, and for sure he won't take long to notice these little signals Sand nin was sending him before making a move. If that happens to be the case, their affairs might interfere with successful prosecution of this mission.

Matsuri was silent and calm. She was observing people too, probably judging what they are like before revealing herself. That was smart. She was noticeably different with people she knew, Yukata and Temari, but in a bigger company, she closed up and avoided unnecessary attention.

Lee was speaking something. Shikamaru shut out his monologue, but subconsciously registered his energetic and motivational speech about the camp and what it will achieve; nothing too important to take note of as it did not really help with the planning.

He heard Temari's voice, and his eyes shifted to her. Looking as badass as ever, dressed all in black today, she looked even sharper than usual. She responded to Lee something he also did not hear. She blinked slowly, and upon opening her eyes, they stared back into his.

Shikamaru's exterior remained calm but inside he flinched, feeling like a pupil caught by his teacher chatting during the lesson. He froze, waiting for some stingy comment from her. Temari seemed emotionless, but her eyes sparkled with ruse.

„Slept well, Shikamaru?"

_And so my torment begins._

"Not really. If you weren't so insistent on meeting up so early, I just might have."

„As a leader of this mission, you seem very responsible."

„Nobody appointed me a leader, but thanks for the honors." He smirked. She slipped right there, and they both knew it. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she contemplated her retort, but unexpectedly, Lee saved her.

"Actually Shikamaru, you are a leader of the mission. Konoha is the main organizer and sponsor, and Hokage told you to pick your team; that definitely makes you the leader."

It was Temari's time to smirk.

Shikamaru didn't quite agree, but she obviously picked the little fact and wasn't planning on letting it go despite what he would say. If he tried denying, she would still find a way of persuading him it was his job. At that moment he knew there was no point of biting any more, she was way too stubborn, and it pretty much meant he had to start doing his part of being a leader and taking the initiative. _Just like Hokage said..._

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Would you two stop fighting? I have a headache." Kiba grunted suddenly.

Shikamaru glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, and Temari sent him a questioning look.

"We're not fighting." There was an element of surprise in her voice. They were used to the bickering so much, it became their natural way of speaking to each other, but to other people it sounded pretty much like a fight, Shikamaru figured. In a way he liked it. It was something undeniably intimate only they shared and no one else really understood.

* * *

„Yukata, use your head with that guy. He's famous for having way too many girlfriends for his age." Temari warned. _I sound like a mother..._The girls were closest to friends for her as she had in Suna, and a part of her wanted to take care more than just as for a comrade. She quickly picked up Yukata's interest in Kiba (that wasn't too hard since she was blushing whenever he spoke to her) and those little flirty smiles of his quickly did their work on the girl.

Tonight Kiba invited some people to go out, including the sand nins. Matsuri refused, deciding to take a walk around Konoha – she was always more of a loner. Temari didn't quite want to go, feeling a little tired in the evening, after beginning her every day with taijutsu training, but seeing the excited Yukata she simply felt necessary to keep an eye on her and her new crush. Kiba was surely not the most innocent guy in Konoha, and his sudden invitation really seemed suspicious. She just hoped she will not end up as the tail and more people will come.

As they descended the stairs leading to the bar in basement of some building, the laughter coming their way confirmed that more people did come. Ino was the first to notice them. She jumped up to hug Temari, and she hugged back the girl she found annoying in the beginning, but the similarities of their characters pushed through that and they ended up being friends. As they approached the booth, Kiba turned his head over his shoulders, sending a quick "Hey" to Temari and a long, flirty look and a charming smile to Yukata, who walked behind shining.

Sakura was sitting in front of him and she hopped up to say hello too; Choji simply waved. Next to Choji sat Shikamaru. His arm rested on the shoulders of a girl, who was leaning into him as if they were glued. A girl with pale complexion, light hair and light eyes; the same girl whom Temari has seen one early morning in the hotel.

_Oh._

Everything fell into its place. The incident with the hotel manager and his unexpected reaction.

The couple noticed the newcomers, and Shikamaru nodded to Temari and Yukata, who was only staring into Kiba, oblivious to the surroundings. The little Shikamaru's girl stood up and bowed. She was, indeed, little, her eyes were in the level of Temari's shoulders.

"My name is Mina, nice to meet you."

Temari bowed slightly, introducing herself, a little surprised of this official greeting. She surely did not expect one in the bar amongst her friends, but decided to go with it. She sat down, glancing at Shikamaru and his girlfriend. For some reason it felt weird seeing him with a girl, but it didn't take Temari long before she realized Mina was what he was looking for entire time. Sweet-tempered, simple, rather plain looking. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and Shikamaru shifted. He seemed uncomfortable with that much physical contact, sitting between his friends and comrades, but Mina paid no mind. She was clearly head over heels with him and Temari couldn't imagine them having a fight or her objecting him. So when she noticed a tiny silver ring on her finger, Temari wasn't surprised a tiny bit.

As the night rolled, Choji passed out in his chair, and Ino initiated making his face a drawing-paper. Shikamaru gladly joined, carefully curling Ino's eyeliner on Choji's nose and cheeks, and Temari silently snickered. _Who knew he had a goofy side?_ Most of the table laughed too, and they held their mouths shut with their hands not to wake up Choji, who now had red lips and a target drawn on his forehead with a lipstick. Temari accidentally chortled rather loudly, unable to hold the laughter inside, and Shikamaru glanced at her watered eyes. His eyes were smiling too. That moment of shared laughs and smiles reminded Temari how good it felt to fool around with a bunch of friends. He then continued using up the lipstick on his best friend's skin. Tiny hand with a tiny ring landed on his shoulder, and Shikamaru turned around surprised to find Mina not at all amused but rather concerned. They sat down whispering something to each other, but the fun from his face in an instant, and Temari smiled understandingly. She has been in a similar situation with Hayato more than once.

She couldn't help but notice Shikamaru's attentive and protective gaze as Mina walked among a mass of people in the bar towards the bathroom. _Why am I observing them?_ It felt like she spent the entire evening analyzing their relationship, and to what end?

Temari pushed the strange thought away and glanced around her substantially drunk friends. She wasn't drinking today; with all the training she has been doing it wouldn't have been the best idea. Choji woke up and created a gush of laughter, looking as a ridiculously lost clown. Ino was also drowsy but did her best not to fall asleep as she knew what will happen. Kiba's arm was unsurprisingly around Yukata's shoulders and she seemed very okay with that. In fact, even though she sometimes was a rather shy girl, but tonight she was playing it all very well, allowing just a little but not too much. Kiba was drunk too, but Yukata wasn't, and she controlled him and his wandering hands very easily. _Looks like she's gonna be okay by herself, after all._

Soon Shikamaru stood up, preparing to leave, and everyone else decided to scatter as well. Ino said she'd wait for Choji who was washing the paint off his face in the bathroom. For some reason she seemed a little guilty now for making fun of her teammate_. Is something going on between them too?_

Temari turned to send a look towards Yukata. _Not leaving without you._ The sand nin noded and slid out of under Kiba's arm. He tried to stop her, but she flashed a smile at him and he let go. Maybe he did like her more than just a one night fling, with the way he eyed her. It wasn't very... straightforward.

When Temari and Yukata came back, Matsuri was getting ready to sleep, but it was evident they decided to chat as the snickering behind their doors wouldn't fade.

She slipped into her bed, stretching aching muscles under cold sheets, and sighed. It was clear she will not fall asleep quickly. Despite her tired body, her thoughts were restless, occupied by upcoming camp and also, for some reason, by what she saw today. Mina was good to him, obviously, and Temari remembered very well how he complained about his mother's character, always mentioning the _troublesomeness_ of Temari's as well, and how he said he would prefer to be single all his life than marry such a witch.

She laughed it off then and would laugh it off now. If a man can't handle your character, it's not the right man. And then she agreed to rather spend her life alone than be with a man who would complain about what she does all the time.

Yet things changed, at least for her. Temari didn't quite notice when, but they did. She was no more the high-principled girl she was back then, and she surely lowered her standards and forgot the principles for the sake of her relationship. Hayato was complaining a lot about what she did. He tried to change her in many ways. He was not easy to find a compromise with, however he never argued with her and usually allowed her to have her way. He didn't handle her character, he chose to ignore the parts he didn't know how to handle. It worked well for him, but only because Temari was not like most girls, who would never let go of such an important thing without a long yet futile discussion. Growing up among the boys, she knew how their mind works and picked up a few useful traits other girls were lacking – the ability to forget and not to overanalyze things. If something was not going well, she'd just go for a run until the bad emotions were exhausted together with sweat, pushed the wrong to the back of her mind and indulged herself and Hayato in good emotions only.

But Hayato was good for her as well. He accepted things others would not; her inability to express the good emotions freely; her impulsiveness; her lack of need of physical contact. Remembering Mina clinging to Shikamaru like a baby monkey to its mother, Temari shuddered. She'd never let Hayato do something like that. But she was happy for him. He was her friend, and if he was happy, having found what he was looking for, then so was she.

Closing her eyelids that started feeling heavy, she slowly drifted off. Her subconsciousness hovering in between awake and asleep state developed a thought that could not be easily expressed in a sentence. That thought would not have emerged her being awake, as the situation right now was so different from how it once was, and the circumstances have changed accordingly. It was a slightly painful regret that the incompatible characters prevented them from becoming something more, and their principles did not allow them even to try to embody what might or might not have developed of whatever was felt between them always.


	7. Chapter 7

- VII -

When he came back home after the long day, Mina was already waiting for him at his flat. The laundry was done, the dinner was on the table, and she was wearing a light pink dress with her hair tied up with a pink ribbon. As usual, she hopped to meet him at the door and kissed him, taking his face in her arms gently.

"What's the occasion?" He asked curiously. He appreciated what she has been doing for him but sometimes it made him feel a little guilty for not having enough motivation to be so caring as well. He was tired today after running various matters for the _damned_ upcoming camp; the workload increased since Suna nins left. Despite that most of the construction work was already done, the schedule of trainings was still not clear, and there was only a week left to finish everything. All he wanted was to lay on his bed and switch his mind off.

But he forced himself to go with the evening as his girlfriend had planned. Dinner, some wine. She was very affectionate today. As they sat on the couch, her tiny feet climbed on his lap and he caressed the soft white skin, that already became a habit in this relationship. She shifted all satisfied. He could see what she was craving for and decided to tease her instead of making a move. She was too shy to show any initiative for sex except these little subtle hints, like a silent sigh as his hand slid up to her knee.

He smirked. His fingers were crawling up her thigh, hiding under the dress, and Mina closed her eyes, resting against an armrest. Her chest lifted as she inhaled deeply; hardened nipples protruded through thin fabric.

So much for his teasing game – he got hard by simply watching her. Not feeling too patient about waiting for Mina to start something, if that was to happen at all, he crawled above her and brushed against her lips. She lifted up to kiss him willingly, her hands wrapping up around his neck, one leg flexing and the dress sliding down to reveal more of her skin.

Normally he would take her in his arms and bring her to the bedroom. She was very light so that was no problem to him, and that was the way she liked it – romantic. And gentle. Fairytale-like. This time Shikamaru needed something else and ignored the surprise in her face as he slid the strap of the dress off the shoulder and down her arm, revealing a small breast. Ticking her skin with kisses, he descended down to the nipple while his hand tried to free the other one from the covering fabric. Mina whimpered. Her hands were pulling at his shirt, not really trying to take it off but rather remind him to do that. Normally, he would already be shirtless, not caring about complaining that she never takes his clothes off during the moment, but today he did not care taking it off at all.

He grabbed her waist and sat down, pulling her skinny body on top of him. The sight of that girl with already messed up hair and messed up dress made him want to hurry with this as the passion took over him, but only until he noticed the protest in her face.

He knew she didn't like to be on top, and he never forced her, but always hoped she would one day. Mina didn't realize how hot that was for a man, a girl on top. Shikamaru brought her face close to his, kissing her again, silently whispering "Come oon…", but her answer was a shaking head and a plea in her eyes.

Not giving a second thought Shikamaru came back to the previous position and continued kissing her neck. Soon she was taken over so badly, she barely noticed how the zipper of his pants was suddenly open; the condom was on and he was entering her.

"What…what are you doi..ng?" she muttered weakly as he slid inside. She seemed to be enjoying this more than being really confused about what he was doing, and he continued, gazing shortly into that sharp stare of hers before burying his face into her neck and the hair, spread on the couch. She gasped as he increased his pace, a silent moan forming in her throat and her legs trembling with the tension.

He was close, too soon, he figured but couldn't – or didn't want to – try to hold on longer, and with a few hard thrusts he came, exhaling the air through clenched teeth. After that he knew he will feel even more exhausted, but what's done was done.

He pulled out slowly, careful not to lose the condom, and started crawling down after kissing her. Mina wasn't one of the lucky who could finish during vaginal sex yet he never left her unsatisfied. It took some time to convince her to let go of that ridiculous shame she stated she felt when he was going down on her, but since then she was having no less orgasms than he.

Yet this time she stopped him in the middle of lifting up her dress. She shut her legs, stood up and hurried to the bathroom without saying a word.

Shikamaru stared at the door she disappeared behind, feeling completely dumbfounded. _What in the world happened? Why would anyone run away like that after sex? _It was the first time she did that, yet he couldn't figure out what has gone wrong. So he decided to wait until she comes out and ask her, but after good 10 minutes as he almost fell asleep on the same couch, he came up to the door to hear her crying.

_Oh my god._

"Mina… Come on out. What happened?"

Instead of an answer he heard her sobs get even louder, uncontrollable gasps and voiced whimpers.

"Please open the door… Talk to me, Mina…" he sighed, resting his head against the wood. The lock suddenly clicked and she opened the door, eyes blood-shot and hurt.

With trembling voice she started.

"I made dinner for you, took care of you, I was good to you and you… On the couch and with all the clothes on! That was not love making! You behaved with me like I was some slut!"

Tears fell from her eyes, she wiped her blushed cheeks with the back of her hand. She was shivering and still sobbing, looking vastly hurt. He could not believe what she said. Instead of guilt he usually felt seeing her tears, this time he felt nothing. He just stared.

"…what?"

Hoping for some explanation, _something_ that would enlighten this situation and her reaction for him, anything, he waited as the silence grew so big it filled the flat with uncomfortable vibe.

"You have to be kidding me…"

_This is actually what she thinks. _

"Mina." He covered his face with his palms, trying to sober up from his fatigue to create a logical sentence. "Couples have sex in many ways. On the couch is one of them. With the clothes is a second one. It makes no difference _how_ we do it, it doesn't change what I feel for you and what I think of you, and I certainly do not think you're a slut!"

He heard himself a little too late – his voice has risen without him even noticing. Mina was in tears again in an instant, and she ran off to the bathroom again, locking the doors behind her. "It makes a difference to me!" he heard through her sobs.

Shikamaru sighed. He very well knew Mina wanted him to stay there, try to talk her out of this nonsense, convince her she's being silly about this. But he was simply not in the mood. Too tired, physically and emotionally, and he couldn't bring himself to care enough to do what she wanted.

He lazily shuffled to the bedroom; stripped off his clothes, throwing them on the ground; slid under the sheets and closed his eyes. _Who in the world wants to have a fight after sex..?_

* * *

Will be waiting for some reviews. I'm as tired as Shikamaru here so the chapter might be a little raw, but give it a go and tell me what you think.

Kisses goodnight,

Cafe


	8. Chapter 8

- VIII -

She knew something is not right the minute she opened her apartment door.

Hayato _always_ met her with dinner after her missions and sometimes even without any occasion, evidently spending at least two hours in the kitchen, preparing something she could never even think of. He'd take her bags at the door, hug and kiss her, and tell her he missed her.

She did not really need all that neither she felt bad not receiving the same behavior now, but after a year Temari simply got used to his little tradition, and it was so easy to tell that something's up.

She slipped her bag down from her shoulder and unclasped the tessen. The fatigue came over her just as she ditched her heavy weights, not bothering to put them gently, and they hit the ground with a dull thump. Hayato, who was sitting on the couch with a book, didn't even move one muscle.

_Wow._

"Hey." Temari inquired, yet he still didn't bother to turn around.

"Hi."

Her eyebrows rose up. He was being very strange. "What's up with you?"

"Oh nothing. How was the mission?"

_Oh, so it's about the mission._

You'd have to be a fool not to notice that edge in his voice and the dry intonation of that question. Temari sighed. He always opposed of her going away for longer than 3 days, and truthfully, that annoyed the shit out of her. But the way he reacted now was something very new.

Temari walked over and sat next to him. More accurately, she fell on the couch heavily.

"Why are you angry on me?"

"I'm not."

"Bullshit."

He glanced. Oh yes, he was angry, even if he tried to remain calm, his eyes gave away everything. There was not a single positive emotion in his look. Instead, accusations.

"Care to make a guess?" He was so angry he didn't quite want to make up, she figured. Otherwise he would have told her what's the matter already.

"10 days away for a mission?"

For some reason, she didn't feel bad about Hayato being angry. She was curious to know why exactly, but inside she couldn't find the motivation to find out what he thinks and feels, and convince him he's wrong. It felt a little futile, keeping in mind how many times already she had explained everything to him, and for a short period it seems he's come to terms with her schedule yet the next time – _this_ happens.

"Was that a mission, really?"

Temari couldn't stop herself from shooting a mocking glance. _What has he gotten inside his head this time? _

"Would you mind explaining what are you asking exactly?"

She remained calm but mainly because she found his question more funny than annoying. This conversation started to amuse her.

"Was that a mission or you just fabricated all of this to be with your boyfriend?"

Before even spending a second to interpret his delusions, she retorted. "Yes, I have fabricated a mission to spend time in Konoha with my boyfriend who was in Suna the entire time… What have you been smoking, Hayato?" Her lips curled into a wide smile. Now she was eagerly waiting to find out what was coming next; holding her breath as the laughter already tickled her lungs.

"I meant your other boyfriend. Nara."

That was it. That was one last snowflake that started the avalanche, and Temari laughed so hard she slid down from the couch on the floor. She opened her eyes only to see dead-serious face of her boyfriend, and that only made her laugh more. She was lying flat on the carpet, practically screaming, and it took forever to calm down. She wiped the tears away from her cheeks, staring up to the ceiling, still snickering. Getting up she made the same mistake and looked at Hayato again; another outburst of laughter emerged.

"Okay, that was a good one, I have to admit." She smiled widely. "I've never told you about him, so, let me guess, my brother mentioned something _accidentally_."

Kankurou didn't like Hayato and never failed to demonstrate that. This move, trying to make Hayato jealous, well, it was brilliant, because Hayato was, in fact, very jealous. Only Temari never really gave any reason for him to worry about any other guy. However Kankurou did.

She probably should explain and tell him their story, but that felt so… meaningless. There was no one Hayato should be worried about, but he didn't trust her now since her brother decided to poke his nose into their business.

Temari inhaled deeply:

"Nara Shikamaru. Rather well-known genius of Konoha, whom I have fought during my chuunnin exams, and won against him. Actually, I lost, but that's a long story. When I became the ambassador, he was appointed as my guide, and now we both were assigned to organize the upcoming training camp. So yeah, I met him when I was in Konoha. And no, he is not my boyfriend, because first of all I already have a boyfriend and secondly, Shikamaru has a fiancé." Finished with a sigh, she followed his reactions. Seems like he believed the story, and got a little embarrassed. More than a little, in fact, and she only thought it's appropriate for creating such a scene out of nowhere. He looked really guilty, and even avoided her eyes not to mention stammering out an excuse or an apology.

She smiled at his easily-readable emotions and kissed his cheek. "Don't worry about it. I'm not angry. I was amused." She teased, and made her way to the bathroom, still laughing.

Hayato stood up and shuffled towards the kitchen, still looking like a dog that just broke a vase. He figured he should, after all, make some dinner for his girlfriend and try to amend his outburst at least in this way.

After a while they proceeded to the bedroom. Temari opened the closet door, looking for her night gown, not noticing Hayato kicking something under the bed rather hastily. As she slid into her robe, her boyfriend was already sitting on the bed, wriggling the sheets. She joined him and rested her head on his shoulder when he laid down; her arm and leg quickly crawled over his chest and legs, and she happily let herself drift away. She felt really good; that laugh took off any tension and the warmth she felt now, hugging Hayato, was so relieving, so satisfying and fulfilling, she again, subconsciously, formed one important notion.

_That just might be the love._

* * *

I'd really like to thank my reviewers, especially **sylversmith, anamicenas, peonyy** and **aeladriel**. Thank you not only for praising my story and my ideas and whatnot, but even more so for noticing the little stylistic things I do when writing, how I try to portray the tension, how I let you, my readers, interpret the characters' feelings and inner thoughts based on their actions and reactions. I love your notes on what they think and how they will behave, your predictions about what's going to happen next or what's bound to happen,

Your feedback really made me feel much better about this story, I'm starting to think I am, actually, succeeding, in what I have planned to write and how in the very beginning. Thank you so much for your good words, for spending some time texting me your insight and for keeping my motivation somewhere really high.

Love,

Cafe


	9. Chapter 9

- IX -

Temari lifted up a hand to cover her eyes from the blinding sun. She gazed to the horizon, where the surroundings began to change and some greenery beamed from far away. Sand and dirt she has been walking on was covered by dry grass here, but it insensibly was getting more alive the further she went. She chose to walk on soft tufts rather than the dusty road, listening to the sounds her feet made shuffling through the grass, and watched the scenery closely as she approached the forest.

Less than a week ago she made a same trip from Suna to the campsite, but much has changed during those few days. The weather was very cold then, windy and unwelcoming. The same trees shivered in the gusts of wind so strong they could compete with her techniques, howling as they moved. Their greenery was eye catching, darkening the surroundings as she walked under the roof of branches and leaves. Now, however, the weather has changed completely. It was warm, sunny and calm. And she gazed in awe of what has become of once intimidatingly dark green forest. Lightened by the sun it glimmered in dozen warm colours. From afar it looked like an inviting yellow-red fire, but not the burning and destroying kind; this one was nurturing and welcoming.

She couldn't take her eyes away from the bright leaves, floating above her head in sunlight, or the previously plain road, that was now covered by fallen ones. They played in many shades of red, orange and yellow, there were few that still held onto the green, but they blended into the mix, overtaken by the mass of brighter hues.

Temari slowed her stride unconsciously, enjoying the view she had all around herself. As if it is impossible to get enough of a sweet you love despite how full you feel, she felt the same with the colours. Eyes opened wide she tried to take in every single shade, her mind preoccupied with such beauty, absorbing the sensation of being there amidst the rain of leaves, the warmth, the silent shuffle of the branches and the leaf carpet she stepped on. She stopped completely, wishing with all her heart this season would never end.

She figured she didn't know the names of any of those trees. Nothing besides palm trees and cactuses grew in Suna, but the variety here was unbelievable. She could tell the difference by the shapes of the leaves, but there were some looking the same, yet their colours were completely different. There were trees that looked like they are on fire, stems surrounded by a mass of eye-catching redness, and not a single leaf was on the ground yet. Other trees had a mixture of hues on their branches, from green to red and brown. Their trunks looked like black thin ghosts, contrasting in the background of yellowness, and she couldn't stop thinking of them as the pillars simply holding that marvelous mixture of colours above her head.

Temari felt sincerely happy the campsite was set in the middle of the forest rather than in the desert or prairie. As she approached the freshly build houses and structures she knew she will spend more time than necessary only to observe the surroundings. And she hoped her cabin's window will face the forest.

There were dozens of small, wooden cabins built by wood technique users of Konoha, equipped for lodging one to five people. All these huts were built on the side of the hill, looking down the campsite's square, that was surrounded by facilities such as a canteen and showers. Further on there was a big area amidst the trees, prepared for trainings, and according to their plan, there had to be three separate training grounds, varying in size. She stepped on the porch of her cabin and gazed down the hill. Everything smelled of freshly cut wood; few people were walking leisurely around the camp, having arrived a day or two too early. She threw her things on the bed; she had ordered a two person cabin with a double bed to live with Hayato who was to arrive in two days, just before the beginning of the camp.

Most of the planning was already done and only a few final additions were necessary, so she descended down the hill towards the square and to the biggest building in the campsite, housing a meeting room and a hall, hoping to find some of the organizing committee there. She smiled to herself as her feet shuffled the crispy leaves before she smelled a scent of tobacco. To her right, sitting on the porch of another cabin, sat the culprit with his cigarettes.

"Thought you have quit."

Shikamaru slightly turned his head, a little surprised she caught him smoking his first cigarette in years. For some reason he didn't quite think through, he bought a pack just yesterday. Even though her hands were on her hips in her usual pose, that he always thought emphasized her femininity, her eyes weren't judging, which came out as yet another surprise, for he prepared himself for getting reproached.

"I thought so too."

He watched as she came over and sat next to him, leaning back on her arms. She wasn't wearing her tessen. Her eyes lifted up to the sky, barely visible through still thick layer of leaves, and he followed her glare before coming back to her face. She seemed happy.

"What do you see?"

"What do you?"

Temari glanced at him with a smirk. Her question was not about the sky neither the leaves; it was about him staring at her for the past few minutes intently. It was hard not to – she was shining, and the red kimono dress with dark brown sleeves and matching obi made her an eye-catcher, even more than she was before. And the cleavage, of course, mostly the cleavage.

Shikamaru pointed his eyes back to the sky, inhaling yet another smoke as he couldn't come up with any answer, or rather chose not to. He wondered if she knew how difficult for a man is to speak to a woman whose breasts are trying to break free from their clothes. It's hard enough to speak with a girl like her to begin with, but with a distraction like this it was almost impossible. Of course she knew, and he could bet she did it on purpose, proving yet another advantage she had over him and other men, and, in her own way, emphasizing her need of superiority. _Such complicated being. _He smiled at the thought.

They walked down to find the other organizers and talk through the last details. Temari noticed from afar the minimal distance between Kiba and Yukata, who arrived at the camp yesterday. Noting her stare, Kiba took a step back, and Temari bit her lip to avoid grinning. Kiba was even more scared of her than Shikamaru was.

The agenda wasn't too laden for her, at least during the first two weeks as she will not be in charge of any training. Hayato will be at the camp only for the first two weeks as well, so she will have some more time to spend with him, hopefully killing his complaints of her busyness. Remembering his little jealousy scene about Shikamaru she bit her lip again, holding a laughter.

"Well well, isn't that the number one responsible person here daydreaming right about now?"

Shikamaru's sly voice brought her back from her memories but instead of getting embarrassed for being caught she smiled widely at him. _It was as if he knew I was thinking about him_. Shikamaru was about to say something else, but her smile clearly got his tongue entangled and shut him up for good. Others watched those two with dumbstruck faces, probably giving up the idea to figure out what was going on here, but neither Shikamaru nor Temari noticed their gazes as she still smiled at him and he continued to stare.

* * *

Sorry if this came out as boring, but I just had to add this little filler to describe the campsite and so on...

Your reviews would be very appreciated nevertheless!

Cafe


	10. Chapter 10

- X -

Shikamaru opened his cabin's door, stepped outside, slit his hands into his pockets and sighed. He had to admit to himself, he was enjoying this camp way more than he thought he would, despite the fact that it hasn't even started yet.

Officially, the camp starts tomorrow, but he has been around for almost a week now, running some errands here and there, checking if everything is prepared for, and the best part is that he didn't have to wake up early and even after doing his job he had the most of the day to himself. Which was nice, because he was getting tired of the routine back in Konoha and tired of people telling him what to do. Here he was the one doing that. He didn't like it, but it was better than the other way around.

All of the organizing committee was already here. He liked the sound of it, organizing committee. It made it sound much more serious than it actually was, a training camp for mostly a bunch of shinobi teens, taught by a bunch of other young shinobis. The post-war period was calm and even boring, in a way. People who got used to being busy constantly now had nothing to do and felt a little forgotten, or fell into sadness over their fallen friends or relatives. A camp had to be a fun event, so besides serious training there will be many not so serious activities, lots of free time, challenge board where one could challenge the other for a fight of his preference. Even some social evenings, a.k.a. parties, were on the plan.

He made his way down to the camp's square. It was full of people today, young and old, many were invited from all the nations and, it seems, they had nothing better to do than to come. Few young girls accidentally bumped into him, and ran away without saying a word. Shikamaru sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted of this mass, and tried to make his way towards the workshops that surrounded the square. He nodded to Sakura, who was setting up her med-point with medicine and bandages; noticed an empty table with the sign "puppeting" above it. _Would be surprising to see Kankurou arriving on time. _Sai was also here, demonstrating the children how his just-painted tiger comes to life; Shino, sitting amongst some books and glass containers with many kinds of bugs. He did not receive too many visitors, though. Shikamaru hid a smile.

Most of the workshops were either open or the people responsible for those were preparing already, and everything went according to plan. He slipped his head into the meeting room to find it was empty; only a couple of tea cups stood forgotten on the table.

As he stepped outside, someone bumped into him again and Shikamaru furrowed his eyebrows, irritated. He quickly darted between two small huts and into the forest, that was seemingly empty and forgotten. He leisurely shuffled the fallen leaves as he walked towards the training grounds, intending to check if everything is in place for the last time before the marathon of training begins tomorrow.

Head lifted high up towards the sky, eyes staring to the blueness that peaked through the colorful leaves, he heard some whispers and giggles not too far away. He glanced to the direction where the sounds were coming. There was a tall guy with grayish hair behind a tree, and he wasn't alone.

_Kakashi..?_

_Can't be._ _He said he was coming only next week._ Besides, this guy was bigger than Kakashi, broad-shouldered and a little bulky. He was dressed in dark gray colours and wore a peculiar looking utility belt around his hips, equipped with even stranger tools. Between him and a tree was a tall black-haired girl with a forehead-protector, a widest smile on her face that was soon hidden as he leaned in to kiss her. Shikamaru lifted an eyebrow at the actions performed by their hands the next second, and turned away, not intending to see any more of this.

He wasn't surprised at the sight; put many young people in one place and it _will_ happen, but those two sure were fast, considering the camp hasn't even officially started.

Soon enough, looking straight between the trees, he saw one of the training grounds. It seemed empty at first, but as he emerged out of the forest he saw his friends by the tribunes. Something stopped him, and he leaned against the tree, watching them from afar in silence, only their cheerful voices echoing towards him, dulled by the distance.

She was laughing. Face upwards, hands on her hips, she was laughing full heartedly, seemingly, of the skies above her, of the world that sometimes wanted but never could bring her down, of the sand grains in her shoes and the sun, who merely tried to shine brighter than she did.

She was true. Her sense of humor. A taste for adventure. A healthy glow. Hips to grab on. Confidence. Appetite for life. Intuition. Smart-ass comebacks. Presence. A quick wit. A woman who realizes how beautiful she is. How powerfully sexy.

_"__We all lie to ourselves to be happy." _He heard Asuma's voice inside his head, a line he once told to his team after a mission. We all lie to ourselves to be happy. Why did this thought find its way into his mind he did not know. Maybe it was the autumn, the beautifully colorful autumn in the land of Fire, the same like many years ago when they went on some simple mission and failed, then tried to persuade themselves everything's going to be okay.

She turned around slowly, gracefully, moving so flawlessly as if she did not have a ton-weighting tessen on her back. She looked straight into his eyes, as if she knew he was there, watching her. Her eyes still gleamed with unfallen tears of joy, he convinced himself as he could not have seen that from so far away.

Lee and some other shinobi turned to go, and she stepped ahead as well. Her eyes darted down to the orange maple leaf she had in her hand, then back to Shikamaru, and the next step she took led towards him. He watched closely as her hips elegantly swayed to the sides as she walked slowly, but without hesitation, carelessly, but confidently. And as he watched, he could not remember why she was supposed to be scary, why have he ever thought of her as troublesome. Deep down he knew the answers, but as she stepped closer and closer, he simply forgot.

The same maple leaf blocked his view as she lifted her hand and spun its stalk between her fingers.

Her voice filled the distance between them, blending naturally into the surroundings and the sounds created by the branches above them. It was not girly, not too gentle, it was a little harsh, but the huskiness softened it, and he couldn't imagine anything else fitting to come from between her lips.

"What tree did this come from?"

* * *

Just wrote this during a night-shift at my work. Hah, I get paid to write! Maybe I'll even write the next chapter if nothing comes up.

Enjoy, my lovers, and goodnight.

Cafe


	11. Chapter 11

- XI -

Temari was walking through the square, almost empty now, only few visitors hanging around. It was midday, the official opening ceremony had just ended and now was the time to begin the trainings.

Her gaze wandered to a one particular booth with "Tanaka" name on it. She stared, not slowing down her step, until her boyfriend rose his eyes and flashed her a smile, waving his hand and mouthing a silent "good luck". His smile was as wide as ever, but she could see something was not right. He was a little nervous and distracted ever since he came here and even before that, and she figured his mind was preoccupied with tomorrow's matters.

As confident and even cocky he might have been in his weapon shop in Suna, here he just couldn't reach the same state of mind, knowing how many people will be here to watch him and his crafts.

Temari smiled. _The biggest mistake one can make is to think you know a man through and through. Do that, and the next day he surprises you with unexpected behavior._

She didn't tease him about it though, haven't even said a thing about him refusing sex yesterday either. She saw how off he was, and shut her mouth despite coming up with a billion bites and teases. But she also knew how upset and annoyed he might get and she didn't want that because eventually he would ruin her mood as well, so she said nothing and secretly snickered every once in a while as he forgot to lock the door or unpacked his things with slightly trembling hands.

Temari continued her stride, unable to waste any time since the training was scheduled to begin right about now. Her thoughts drifted back to Yukata and Matsuri, who were about to begin their first lesson ever, and whether they will manage to achieve the goal all 3 have set up for the upcoming two weeks. She squeezed herself through a handful of people standing right in front of the gates that led towards the training grounds, but one girl, instead of stepping aside to let her through, shoved her shoulder, causing Temari to hit it hard with her own. The impact was so strong it was hard to believe it was accidental.

She looked over her shoulder with angry yet annoyed stare to meet the equally angry eyes of another shinobi. _What a bitch._ Her eyes, almost covered by her bangs, and her face, surrounded by long black hair, was unfamiliar. She wore a flack jacked over tight black attire, highlighting every line of her body. Her forehead protector was on her hips, and the symbol on it belonged to a Hidden Sound Village.

Temari narrowed her lids. She disapproved inviting Sound Village to the camp, considering the past of this villain-breeding place, but Tsunade was insistent about it, aiming to increase the trust between the villages. _What trust can there be if they keep acting like that?_

She clenched her teeth and strode forward, fighting the urge to turn around and kick _the bitch_ in the face; yet the rational part of her kept her feet moving forward as she had more important matters at hand.

Passing Lee's training ground, overcrowded with people, she could see them staring at their sensei, demonstrating his abilities and speed. Oh, she knew all about that. By the end of her own private training – too short, insanely intensive and definitely insufficient training – she realized she'd have to completely give up her tessen and practice taijutsu from now until she got old to reach the kind of level he was in. And even in that case she might never beat Lee and his tall, lean and perfectly coordinated body with her feminine complexion_. Every gram counts._ And her curves were not made of muscles, unfortunately. She was as fit as she could get and there were hardly any fat on her legs or stomach, but you just can't shake away a certain piece of flesh from where your genes were responsible.

To her right she heard a dog's bark. There was no need to see the grounds itself to guess it was Kiba and Akamaru, demonstrating their own abilities. Temari quickened her step. She was not worried about being late for Yukata's and Matsuri's training, she knew it would not start without her. After all, she was the demonstration of wind techniques everyone was waiting for.

It was a much trickier task than it sounded, to demonstrate her abilities. All of her jutsu were destructive, harming and causing havoc. What could she possibly show in the arena, surrounded my spectators?

She stepped in the middle of a circular training grounds, next to her girls, who just finished giving the introductions. Behind them were a dozen of training posts, dug deep in the ground, that was densely covered by fallen leaves. They were left here for a purpose. Temari looked around. The tribunes were not overcrowded as Lee's, but there weren't many empty seats left. Most of the faces were young and unfamiliar, but there were several in the front seats who she knew.

Temari squatted down and snapped her fingers 5 centimeters above the ground. A tiny whirl of wind was created, that spun around, gathering its energy and attracting the leaves. She repeated again and again, creating a handful of small tornados, that were under her control as if puppets under her brother's fingers. They whirled around, collecting all the leaves and leaving the ground clean, then she sent them towards the tribunes and the wind crashed into the mass of people like the sea wave crashes against the rocks. The leaves fell down like confetti on youngsters' heads, leaving them in awe.

After that she simply swung her tessen with only one star visible towards the training posts and they flew towards the tribunes, where they were caught by Yukata and Matsuri, and before anyone started contemplating what all three stars could do, she spread her fan wide and directed the gust of wind towards the tips of the trees that stood on the hill approximately 5 kilometers away. It took a second for the wind to get there, but as it did, the trees were trimmed and their tops fell down, breaking the branches loudly. Even from this far it looked like they have been cut by the sharp razor.

In her mind, she didn't – here, she even couldn't – do anything really impressive, but the tribunes were silent, surprised, hooked. She left the grounds soon after Yukata and Matsuri gathered a first group of students and started teaching them the basics – chakra control and blending it with the air. As she stepped back on the road, planning to take a peak at Kiba's grounds and then proceed to Lee's to maybe learn a new move or two, she heard an applause behind her.

For any reason, maybe because of _the bitch_ earlier, that clapping sounded like a taunt, and her fists clenched instantly as adrenaline rushed through her veins. As she turned her head around, Temari secretly craved for it to be her, but what she saw was no one other than Shikamaru.

"What a celebrity you're becoming. You should've heard what they were talking while you were _playing_ with your wind."

_Playing. I saved your ass playing with my wind._

"What's your problem, Nara?"

She stopped and waited for him to come, maybe circling her and keeping a safe distance, since her voice was harsh and rather angry, but he took her by surprise, stepping straight next to her. His hands were in his pockets, yet his lazy look was rather cautious this time, and he kept his eyes fixed on her. Her fists rose to her hips, and as she stared daggers at him, her lips curved into a soft smirk as he answered.

"Why does every woman have to be looking for some _problem_ in every sentence a man says?"

He resumed his steps and stepped forward, she followed, eyeing his back.

"Why did it sound like you wanted me to find a problem in that sentence?"

She could swear she heard his mouth open for an answer, but the only sound he made was a late sigh. He didn't say anything, as he turned towards the camp's square and she went to Kiba's training grounds. What she failed to see was the smile he was wearing while walking away.

* * *

Shikamaru put his elbows on the table, right next to Sakura's first aid kit. She was leaning back into her chair with a book on her lap.

"Finished setting up?"

"Yeah. Now I'm rather bored since no one comes to me unless injured, and there were only few interested in medical healing pills."

"Enjoy while you can. I'm sure you'll receive few visitors after the trainings today."

"Oh I bet you'll have more than just a few when my sister steps in the fights."

Sakura and Shikamaru turned their heads simultaneously towards the next booth, where Kankurou stuck his head out and waved a hand. "Yo."

"She won't be having any for the first two weeks." Shikamaru answered, eyeing the other sand sibling. Just like Temari, he was demonstratively confident, and he even topped her when it came to loudness. He was laughing now, and the way he did it reminded him so much of Temari the other day.

"I thought you knew my sister better than that!" Kankurou snorted. "She'll get into a fight much sooner, trust me."

Shikamaru smirked. _He might be right, actually._

"Wanna drink some beer in the evening?"

Kankurou's eyes were directed at Shikamaru, ignoring Sakura completely, and before he thought of the answer he immediatly realized one of the reasons Temari's in a constat quarrel with her brother. Kankurou was a living example of what she hates in a man – sexism.

"The bar will only be open on Friday, during the social evening."

"I've brought my own!" He retorted with the voice implying it was the most natural thing to do. "Sakura," – his voice changed vividly – "join us, would you? I'd love some of your company."

Kankurou has been friendly with her ever since his poisoning, clearly feeling grateful even now for saving his life. He earned for her company always, and Shikamaru guessed he likes her, but he never made a move even though he had no problem flirting with girls. He reminded of Kiba in many ways. And Shikamaru agreed.

Crossing the square to have a little chat with Sai and Shino, who sat next to each other in awkward silence, Shikamaru noticed a booth with many colorful flutes on display and a Sound Village sign above it all. The person was missing from the booth, though. However, in the next booth there were two, sitting and giggling – the same couple Shikamaru saw in the woods the other day. Black haired tall girl, who was, apparently, from the Sound, and Kakashi look-alike. Judging from his surroundings, he was a blacksmith, and a wooden plate, hanging from the roof of his booth, had a symbol of sandglass carved – Suna.

Shikamaru smiled, making a guess those two met right here, accidentally, setting up their displays before the camp began. They must've begun with a hello, and soon flirted their way into something more, something involving eating each other with their eyes and barely withstanding keeping their hands to themselves.

He met Mina accidentally as well. Nothing was planned, he wasn't particularly looking for anybody, the was no official first date nor romantic intention from his side. The first time he noticed her was in the corridor of the hotel she was working in. As he leaned against the wall, waiting outside Temari's door, a maid passed. Nodding her head she looked at him, a sweet innocent smile and slightly blushed cheeks – and she didn't notice the crumpled carpet in front of her, causing her to stumble down. He caught her just in time, leaving her cheeks even redder. The next day they met under the same circumstances, except her cheeks were red even without stumbling on anything. The third day he was already expecting to see her, but since she didn't pass that corridor that morning, he waited for her outside the hotel after her working hours finished and walked her home. He didn't plan to fall in love with her, but love never cares much about your plans, does it?

* * *

As always, thank you for the reviews, and tell me, what do you think of those little interactions between Temari and Shikamaru? Because I don't even know how to call that. It's not love, but rather increased awareness of each other. Or something.

Please review and _interpret_. :D

Love,

Cafe


	12. Chapter 12

- XII -

Barely holding her anticipation under control, Temari silently prowled towards the challenge board. It hung on the wall on the main building, meaning anyone could have easily seen her, but she wasn't trained for nothing. She listened closely for any sounds, any ruffle of the leaves or a step on a dirt. It seemed the camp was sleeping. People were tired after daily series of trainings, and the midnight was already a late time to most, but to her it was perfect since she did not wish to be seen.

The Challenge Board. Everyone was talking about it since the very morning they finally hung it there. People were teasing each other, threatening to challenge friends jokingly or daring them to challenge someone else. Some were brave and daredevils, others more shy, but everyone was curious about who would challenge who and what kind of fights would they see on Friday. She still had all night to start prosecuting her little plan by putting his name on the paper, but she chose not to wait any longer. Carefully checking for unnecessary eyes and making sure she was alone, Temari stepped ahead and took a pencil. Her lips curved into a sly smile as her fingers curled "Shikamaru" under the graph for a person being challenged, and "taijutsu" for the challenge type. However, instead of writing her own name as a challenger, she simply wrote "?", intending to keep the intrigue until the very end.

The job was done. Now all she had to do was wait and hope that lazy ass will not refuse.

"Where have you been?"

Temari was confronted by Hayato the second she stepped inside. He was sitting on the chair, his hands crossed on his chest, angry eyes directed at her. Suspicion in his voice. _What the hell…_

"Outside, for a walk. Why?"

She raised and eyebrow and started undressing, not really in the mood for some kind of intervention or the serious conversation. This has been going on for pretty much whole week. Hayato was nervous, angry, his sense of humor was lost somewhere and not to be found. It seemed like he was pissed about something she supposedly did, but couldn't tell her what that is, maybe because he didn't know himself, since she really didn't do _anything_ that might have upset him. She abandoned the idea of him being nervous about the camp itself a long time ago, yet didn't push him into telling what was wrong. If a man wants to tell you something, he will. Except she was disappointed their time spent together wasn't as smooth as she thought it would be. It was like a vacation for both of them, lots of free time and only a few responsibilities, a change of climate and nature, but it didn't do anything good, it was the other way around. And one of the clearest indicators of that was that they didn't have sex anymore. Temari tried initiating it, but it was all in vain, and he claimed to be too tired or too preoccupied or whatever else he could think of as an excuse, up to a point where she was beginning to feel annoyed and frustrated of what was going on.

"You're cheating on me, aren't you."

Her hands fell to her sides in paralyzing feeling of absurdity of this statement. It was a statement, not a question; his voice was sure of it, but not accusing. It sounded like he has completely convinced himself of this and now confronted her to get the truth out.

"Really? Really!?" Temari was beginning to lose her nerve. "This again?" He flinched almost unnoticeably as she raised her voice, and her fists clenched. "I spend _all_ of my free time with you in the camp to which _I_ invited you so we can be together more, I don't even go to the meetings of organizers for a chat in the evenings and I avoid _my own brother_ whenever I am with you since I know you two hate each other, and you give me this? What an idiot you have to be to think I would invite you to a camp where I plan to cheat on you with someone!"

He stood up abruptly and walked over to, looking at her aggressively from above. Temari didn't even move one muscle, she was not afraid and at this point she even didn't care anymore. The inside of her was filled with something very close to hatred, and the part of her wanting to keep the relationship going on was lost. The angry look he was giving her, she returned it with no less despite.

"_Do not_ call me an idiot." Hayato gritted through his teeth. He, too, was impulsive, and it showed in his tensed muscles and strongly clamped fists.

Despite the destructive feelings she forced herself to lower her voice, but as she spoke it wasn't particularly calm; it was cold and biting.

"Then stop acting like one."

Hayato's face deformed into one of a malice as he listened to her, but he lowered his voice as well, hissing out the next accusation.

"You're a liar."

Temari pressed her lips. Her hand moved before she could really think.

He took a step back with his face still turned to the side after the impact, and lifted his own palm to his cheek, covering the flashing red skin with the print of her hand on it. Her palm throbbed with pain but the adrenaline rush was so high she barely felt the tingle.

It had to be a slap rather than a punch, the aim was not to hurt him, but to humiliate. Yet afterwards it did not feel any better. Her mind tricked her into thinking it would, but there was no difference, only the need to do that again, especially as he rose his eyes to her, angry and cocky. However, this time she did not have a chance to beat away that arrogance from this look as he caught her wrist, and the next second he was pinning her against the wall with both her hands above her head.

His other hand groped her chin hardly and as he breathed deeply so close to her face, in a matter of seconds her hatred and despise became something else entirely. Temari freed one hand, grabbed him by his hair and pulled his face closer, conjoining their mouths into a lustful kiss.

For once he answered with equal passion, haste and aggressiveness, throwing her on the bed, ripping her clothes from her body, not kissing but rather biting her lips, neck, breasts, clutching her curves with his calloused fingers, that soon landed on her face, trying to cover her mouth as Temari couldn't hold back a satisfied scream as he entered forcefully.

The wooden bed rocked loudly against the wall, and the thuds were accompanied by his grunts and her muffled screams, but she could not hear any of that. He would not have let her get on top, not now, as he was holding her down with his body weight, but she even had no need to try, closing her eyes and enjoying probably the best sex she has ever had with him.

And as she curled in his lap afterwards, she really believed everything is going to be okay between them, her heavy breaths bouncing against his chest, his fingers gently caressing her hair, his lips kissing her forehead and whispering "I'm sorry". Because she knew he was jealous, unreasonably jealous, but if everything ends up like that, it's not that bad at all. She knew the reason behind his jealousy was his need to _possess_ her, and she could not stand that from anyone, but she also knew he loves her, so maybe it was, after all, fine. And he looked so guilty after this fight, again, even as they went to sleep the proximity of their bodies felt somewhat distant from his side. _It's going to pass_, she figured, as she drifted away.


	13. Chapter 13

- XIII -

Questioning his decision with every step he took towards Lee, who was standing in the middle of a circular training grounds, that resembled so much of ancient arena, Shikamaru sighed. More than once.

_Why did I agree in the first place?_

He didn't know the answer to that. But in the morning, as he stared at the challenge board, at the line "?" vs Shikamaru, dumbfounded, and tried to figure out who could have been his challenger, the curiosity nagged his brain.

_Not likely it's someone from the youngsters, they don't know me and haven't seen my skills, which leaves a shinobi of my year. Or older. Could be Lee since he loves challenges, but he is going to be a judge of taijutsu fights, so that was arguable - he had a lot on his hands to begin with. Neither Sai nor Shino are impulsive or cheeky enough to challenge somebody for fun. Enough... rather at all. Maybe Kiba with his head on fire attitude..? But he said just yesterday is glad he's only going to be a judge of his own training and not the one amongst fighters. Could be a diversion, though. Temari... has a necessary character, is a daredevil and likes to fight, yet her wind jutsu are all medium-long range, I've never seen her using taijutsu for a long time, so my guess is she's not too good at it. Yet, neither am I. Techniques of Kankurou are also not a close combat type, so it's doubtful he'd bother with punching and kicking. Which leaves Sakura. Strong, good at taijutsu, brave, and currently quite bored. _

The weather was still nice – warm and calm, as the sun was shining in the cloudless sky, pouring its warmth for the last time before the rainy season begins. The blueness of the sky, however, already got a little different color to it. It wasn't quite as bright as you'd see in summer, not so youthful and electric. It was solid.

With his hands shoved deep in his pockets, Shikamaru looked at his feet before lifting his eyes up at the tribunes. They were full, everybody was seemingly here, watching the challenges and the fights that ensued. There were some newbie fights in the beginning, that were fun to watch - small kiddies in a quarrel, you may say. Others were more intense, up to a point Lee had to break a fight as one young shinobi was showing no mercy for his less experienced training friend. Now everyone, including him, though he did not show it, was waiting impatiently, intrigued about who will show up to confront him.

All of his friends were sitting in a front row, having abandoned their usual camp duties to watch the culmination of the first week, the first round of challenges out of the total of 4. Shikamaru was secretly eyeing his best guess. Sakura seemed calm, relaxed even, comfortably sitting on the bench and didn't seem to be planning to move anytime soon. He kept his eyes on her the entire time, especially when Lee announced that "the anonymous challenger and Nara Shikamaru are invited to begin". She did not move an inch. He frowned.

However, the person who moved at the call surprised him a lot more than just a little. It wasn't that she wasn't a possibility in his guesses, he never quite denied that it _could_ be her, but it was rather the realization that he is actually about to fight Temari that put a curve on his lips and got his eyes widened.

She stood up with the usual smirk. Unclasped her tessen, slowly put it down on the bench, and stepped forward.

Shikamaru missed the moment when laughter started tickling his lungs deep down. She approached, and all he could think was _no way_.

"It's seems I've got the genius by surprise." She flashed a wide smile.

Still chewing on the somewhy incomprehensible thought he smirked, unable to stop looking at her smiling eyes. Shikamaru felt everything grew very silent, just like during their first match in chuunin exams, when the spectators watched breathlessly how their combat would end. This time he failed to notice the whispering of people, the dry branches, shuffling against each other and the chirping birds as his surroundings faded, enclosed by his mind's created blur.

"Why?" He smiled. "You know I don't like hitting women."

"Don't worry. You won't even get a chance."

_She wants revenge. Why did that never occur to me?_

And she wanted it badly.

It was only at first the strike of her hand and her kicks were rather simple to follow, her moves to read and counterattack. Every fist he turned down with his wrists, avoided her kicks, backed up from her lunges.

But she was aggressive. Not in an irrational way kind-of aggressive, no, her nerves were calm and her moves were precise, it was only her eyes that burned with pure eagerness.

She took a step further than he predicted and her fist flew towards his face; he dodged that, leaning slightly to the side, meeting another fist flying over from there, that he dodged with his own hand. What followed was a kick, and as his whole body jerked to avoid it, his head moving to a side with inertia, he saw her gloved hand again. Shikamaru knew then this was all a planned diversion to get him into a position where he had no chance of dodging. She was moving really fast, and her moves seemed to be very purposeful and accurate, up to a point where the planning of his genius brain didn't save him, and he only closed his eyes merely a second before her fist rammed into his eye socket.

_A definite black-eye. _

The hit brought him back to reality and even seeing blinking lights with one eye, he got back his grip, realizing he has to fight his best to cope with the feisty one.

Temari didn't wait for him to recover and directed her feet towards his head again, the fabric of her long dress floating around her as she moved. _When did she get so fast? _He dodged, and again, and again, using his wrists and forearms as a shield from her never ending attack while he mostly defended himself.

_She's trying to wear me down._

Temari was good at physical endurance, way better than he was, and even his mind will be of no use if he lets her do that. He was already panting, drained by the pain in his eye and his arms, while she barely started breaking sweat, even though her chested heaved quite visibly. She jumped towards him again, aiming her right hand at his neck, when he thought of the way to stop her at least for a second. Her fist met his left palm with a loud and painful hit, but he clasped her hand and pushed it a little to his right. The inertia sent her falling towards Shikamaru with her right shoulder about to bump into his chest, but before she could set a foot to get back her balance, he did what she hopefully didn't expect. Without letting her go, he lifted his arm so her head went under it and his elbow was in front of her chest.

She froze for a second, with her now uneven breathing, and he could feel _confusion_ in her moves or rather the lack of it. With this little dance-alike move he did take her by surprise. He could also feel the way her breasts bounced against his arm as she breathed in, since he was squeezing her in hopes to restrain. Her skin was flushed and a little sweaty, it stuck to his forearm and he could see small drops on her neck.

What escaped her lips before she broke free sounded awfully lot like a sigh; her unconstrained hand reached towards her thigh and he heard a kunai being drawn from it's sheath, meaning he had to let go unless wanted the metal stuck inside him. And it was a smart call, as for when she turned around, the devil inside her has taken over completely. It probably didn't fancy the move he did, and she swung the blade at him eagerly.

_So this is what we play now._

From the pouch on his hips he yanked a kunai as well, getting ready for her attack, and the metal clashed against a metal with a chime. The rushing, however, didn't allow him to hand it properly, and his dodging was incomplete – her blade slid down towards his hand. Before Shikamaru could pull back his palm he felt the sharp metal against his skin, and even though the kunai didn't even glide on his hand, only barely touched and pressed it, the blood oozed down his arm from the severed veins. _Well that's some blade. Where did she get those sharpened up so good?_

"You know what they say to children, Shikamaru. Don't play with the knives." Temari bit, smirking. The blood flowed down his fingers and trickled on the ground.

He narrowed his eyes and smirked back.

"It seems you're asking to get hurt."

"Afraid already."

"What if I'll make you."

"I dare you to."

This time it was Shikamaru throwing himself forward at her. He was getting a little annoyed of being beaten for the past half an hour while she just stood there simpering and making fun. Besides, he had to disrupt her plan in order not to lose. She had to get tired as well.

Temari bent backwards easily as he swung his kunai, yet accidentally she fell down on her palms, having lost balance. He got closer fast to attack again, but only then he realized the smirk on her face meant she faked the fall. Resting on her hands she kicked his legs from below and he found himself falling too; with another kick she sent away the bloody kunai away from his hand and towards the tribunes.

She hopped up quickly, but not far enough from Shikamaru as his hand hit her hamstrings from behind, and she stumbled right in front of him. His fist flew up from down below towards her chin, and she bent backwards again, avoiding the direct hit, though still feeling the quick touch. She avoided the fist, but failed to notice his elbow that he swung towards her head, this time hitting a target.

Temari backed away abruptly, still on the ground, trying to avoid getting pinned down by him, since he did have more physical strength than she did and she knew that situation would mean her loss. Her fingers stroked her lip, and as she looked down, there was some blood on her fingertips. Shikamaru watched as her sneaky tongue slit out and cleaned the blood away from the corner of her mouth; next thing it curved into a sly smile and she looked back at him.

"Now you're getting serious."

He smiled, and attacked again. Shikamaru felt his muscles already failing him, inner tremor in his thighs and arms from the tension and multiple hits and falls. Her kicks and punches reached a lot of places on his body, but he made sure she'd get some too, like that nasty bruise she will have on her ribs as he managed to land a kick so strong she expelled the air unwillingly. His knee was throbbing with pain from after he fell on it with his full weight when Temari successfully forced him lose his balance with a series of kicks. Her cheek was red from the hit she took and stained with his blood since succeeded in punching her with his injured hand.

She was crazy. The more beaten she got, the bigger smile was on her lips and the happier she seemed. Just like a maniac, she saw no boundaries, every bruise, whether on his body or hers, was like a push forward, motivating her to fight until the very end. _But what was the end?_

She was close, too close, and he was too slow to try to stop her fist crashing into his abdomen. Hunching over with the loss of breath, he did _try_ to grab her, but she slid out and quickly emerged right behind him. A kick in the hamstrings, and he was on his knees; the kunai he had in his hand didn't go unnoticed and she kicked it away just like the two before that. He panted, exhausted, aching all over and couldn't believe that was it, but he had no more what to fight with. No energy, no kunais, no uninjured body parts. Barely regaining his breath, he again stared at the ground, the dust covered in mainly his blood, when he felt a pull and his beloved sky appeared in his eyes, as she yanked his ponytail backwards. He felt the cold metal against his neck, brushing teasingly, as if she couldn't decide whether to make him bleed a little more or was that enough. He felt her lean close to his ear, her breaths deep and frequent, and in his voice he could hear she was smiling. Not slyly as usual, but smiling sincerely, even friendly.

"We're even."

"And the winner – Sabaku no Temari!" Lee's passionate voice filled the arena, soon silenced by the round of applause from the viewers. The cheers clearly implied they have made some show here, and the spectators were entertained.

Temari let Shikamaru go and walked around, offering a hand to help him stand up. He glanced at it, then at her, and she wore her victorious confidence that looked even more powerful on the face with reddened cheek and a trickle of blood on the lower lip. He smirked, then took a hand.

"Should have known it was you who challenged."

"Indeed, you should've. But it wouldn't had changed anything."

"When did you get so good at taijutsu?"

They started walking out towards the exit, Sakura already waiting for them with bandages. While he let him get fixed by his academy friend, Temari yanked the disinfectant soaked drapes and dry bandages from Sakura's hands and fixed everything herself. The pink haired shinobi raised an eyebrow at her rudeness.

He looked at the woman who he knew as more than just a rough, scary shinobi. _She just prefers to take care of herself._

"I don't know, maybe while you were slacking off." She smirked.

With his now clean and bandaged hand, he took a wet cloth from her hands and gently cleaned away the left-over dried blood on her cheek. For a second her eyes gave away small confusion, but she masked it immediately and didn't back away, only looked back. He gave her a small smile, and to his surprise, she answered the same.

"Hey!" he heard a man's voice behind him. It wasn't friendly. Shikamaru turned around slightly to see the one calling him. "I don't know who you think you are, but you try beating up my girlfriend like that again, I swear you can say goodbye to your head!"

Shikamaru's eyes grew wide. He simply stood there, completely dumbfounded, his hands hanging at his sides aimlessly, staring with an empty head at the shouting guy.

_It was him. _

The one with the dark-haired sound shinobi. And he came over, looking aggressively at Shikamaru, hating even, blabbering something about his _girlfriend_, and throwing his arm around Temari possessively.

It took Shikamaru a second to realize _the girlfriend_ who he was speaking about was _Temari_.

He continued to stare in astonishment, barely registering what was happening in front of him.

(She was squirming, trying to get away from under his grip, angrily looking at the gray-haired guy. "Shut your stupid mouth, Hayato! Why are you being an idiot again?")

He didn't fail to notice the familiarity of her tone, the voice she spoke with few people only, mostly their brothers. That meant that he was, in fact, her boyfriend.

Shikamaru forced himself to blink, to move, to wake up from the shock, yet he still felt dumbstruck.

"What's wrong, _Nara_? Did the cat get your tongue?"

Despite the malice in Temari's eyes, the guy still sneered at him, provoking Shikamaru for a fight that_ pathetic excuse for a man_ clearly wanted.

Shikamaru slowly got his grip back, yet the reality hasn't sunken in just yet. He looked closely at the couple before him. A girl who just beat his ass, now angry, furious, and the gray haired piece of shit, who couldn't care less at the blonde killing him with her eyes. It was definitely him, tall, bulky, a belt with some tools on it.

"Temari is a woman who is completely capable of taking care of herself." She turned to Shikamaru, having heard her name. A glimpse of shame and apology in her eyes, that did something to the leaf shinobi, as if something pinched him inside his stomach. "But she needs to put more mind into it."

* * *

Reviews will be insanely appreciated. Thanks for the love, I love you all back. xx

Cafe


	14. Chapter 14

- XIV -

All he could feel was anger.

As he passed the Tanaka workshop in the main square, as he stood under the hot water stream in the shower, as he laid in his bed motionless, he felt anger.

As he pulled in his second cigarette, he also felt only anger.

The first cigarette was like a romantic feeding of your addiction during a beautiful autumn's day, in a relaxing surroundings of the camp, in the middle of nowhere. It was what he needed to perfect the moment.

This one was nothing but giving up for his weakness at the time uncontrollable emotions broke through, that rarely happened and he was not used to it, but he succumbed to those now, lighting it up and inhaling the smoke.

Shikamaru could barely remember the time he got so frustrated about something. The closest to it was the incident with the hotel manager, but even then, he managed to keep his cool - the very thing he had a hard time keeping right now.

He remembered Mina. His own girlfriend, his fiance, who he loved and spent time with, needed to protect her from the world that continued to harass. He has forgotten her completely during the last days. Shame stung him deeply in his heart, realizing what kind of boyfriend he was, not even bothering writing a letter. It was as if this camp was an alternative universe where Mina didn't exist; and to his dismay he realized he didn't even miss her. She was a mere shadow in his thoughts and especially now the idea of her gentle arms, friendly smile, a little overly-attached behavior didn't cause any rush of good emotions, not when his insides burned with rage.

Shikamaru couldn't understand _how_ any man could do such a thing to a woman. To a woman like Temari especially. Stupid, undoubtedly, and with a death wish, but that wasn't all there was to this. She was intelligent, strong, confident. And beautiful. And not beautiful simply of her looks, no, it wasn't as temporary as that. She was beautiful deep down to her soul that peaked through her eyes in those special moments she smiled at you, beautiful for the way she thought and spoke, for how she saw life, for how she managed to get through to people, _to him_, in a way no one else could.

So why do this for someone so...

_So what? What was she... to you?_

He exhaled the smoke and run his hand through his hair. Up until now he didn't realize his brain managed to think of a question the very same brain had a hard time answering.

Amazing. She was amazing.

And what was she to him? A friend, perhaps. By definition, not even a close one, not the one you'd feel the need to update your life to, however sometimes secretly he wondered why he felt she was a friend even beyond that meaningless small talk.

_Yet why am I so worked up about it? Why do I care so much? Why do I want to crush that asshole's head into a rock for what he is doing to her? Because he is wronging the girl I... care about? And again, why do I care? It's not even my business to begin with..._

Shikamaru woke up feeling dreadful. He couldn't fully open his left eye and he surely wasn't eager to see the man in the mirror. The muscles of his neck, hands and legs hurt. His wrists and forearms hurt. Right side of his chest hurt when he breathed. His both knees stung with pain as he stood up to gather his clothes.

He limped down to the canteen and joined the fellow late-risers for breakfast. It was Kiba, Matsuri and Yukata. Seeing the sand girls his heart stabbed itself with something sharp and his eyes quickly scanned the surroundings for Temari, but she wasn't here. To his relief, he figured, since that uneasiness never left him since the unpleasant encounter yesterday, and he knew he might not be able to handle himself is he sees her with that Hayato.

"Kiba, I need to ask you something." Shikamaru opened his mouth as soon as the girls left.

"What? How to make an eye patch?" The dog-loving shinobi grinned, and Shikamaru snorted. Today, with his beautifully blue-purple skin around his eye, he looked like a panda. And he too would be making fun of himself.

His mind spilled that question without analyzing properly, since his thoughts were preoccupied with the topic so heavily. He didn't think of how to ask what he was about to without Kiba realizing what was going on.

"If you had a friend," mentally he kicked himself for making a pause before a word "friend", "whose girlfriend would be cheating on him and you were to find out before him. Would you tell him?" Shikamaru decided to switch genders here to avoid accidental guesses from Kiba and for him to relate better.

"Hm. If I cared for that friend enough to get in the middle of that mess, of course I would. It could get very nasty, though." He paused. Shikamaru pressed his lips, dreadfully awaiting for Kiba to ask something implying he deciphered who that question was about. But what he asked was completely unexpected. "Is that your way of telling me Yukata is with someone?"

Shikamaru turned to his friend's wide and worried eyes and withheld a laugh. If only that girl would see him right now...

"No. I don't have any reason to believe she is..."

Kiba sighed, drowning in his own thoughts and seemingly forgetting the question Shikamaru just asked. _Turned out better than I thought._

Despite a doubtful definition of a "friend" here, despite this being not his business, despite it was completely not like him to get into this kind of mess, despite saying himself, that Temari is capable of taking care of herself, and despite many more reasons, the option of not telling her didn't seem plausible at all. Shikamaru refused to think of a possibility of her _not finding out_ soon, and allowing that piece of shit continue his infidelity. Keeping such a secret, it would feel like he was deceiving her himself. And he couldn't have that.

In the late evening, even before he could think of a right way to break the news, the opportunity presented itself to him. He sat on his porch, rummaging his pocket for his lighter, as she suddenly emerged from the darkness, unclasped her tessen and settled next to him.

His heart pounded in his neck ever since he simply heard her steps and now, as there was mere inches between them, he didn't dare to lift the cigarette up to his lips. He didn't want her to see his trembling hands. She stared up into the sky but didn't say anything, and he worried that in this silence she might hear his throbbing pulse, his blood-pumping muscle desperately bouncing against his chest wall from the inside. She surely heard the change in his breathing.

"How's your eye?" From her voice he could easily tell she was smirking, but he turned to her anyway so she could see his eye for herself, while he gazed at her cheeky expression and slightly bruised lip in the cold light of the lamp above their heads.

"How's your lip?"

"How's your knee?"

She was so, so smut. And even being completely stressed out, he couldn't stop breaking a smile to her biting questions, sly voice, and attempts to cheer him up a little. He wondered if she saw he was so nervous, and tried to melt the ice on purpose. She herself was in a great mood, and what he was about to tell her…

"When did you start smoking again?"

Shikamaru stared at the cigarette in his hands, still not daring to light it up while she was so close.

"Since the camp."

"Why?"

He simply shrugged it off. Temari didn't complain, she wasn't dissatisfied, she never told him not to smoke, but a mere question, that implied only curiosity, to him meant something much more, something that encouraged him to shove the stick back into the box and into his pocket.

Just as the tension dropped even for a second, she shuffled and stood up. Slowly putting back on her tessen, she prepared to leave. Blood rushed into Shikamaru's head as he stared into the ground, unwilling to lift his eyes just yet, delaying the moment as far as possible. But it had to be now.

"Temari, wait." He inhaled deeply and expelled a shaky breath, that curled under his nose into a while formless cloud of steam. "I need to tell you something."

By then, with his suspicious way of talking, he had her eyebrow skeptically up. That didn't help. Nothing would have helped.

"It's about your boyfriend…"

"Ahh, don't even say." She interrupted, clearly demonstrating she is not planning to discuss that subject with him. "Sorry you had to witness that."

Her words pierced right through him, and for a second he though she knows Hayato was cheating, and she was sorry Shikamaru saw that. But something in her voice and her looks told him, that was not the case, and she was talking about the hysterical jealousy scene.

"It's not that, Temari." Her full attention now belonged to him, her face was calm and a little curious, and as he looked into her eyes, he couldn't find the strength to say the words that he knew will crush her.

"I saw him with another girl. In the woods, making out."

Everything grew silent. The time _probably_ passed as if it was passing before, but it felt like it stopped. It felt like he was staring into her face, but it was not her anymore, only the forever imprisoned marble sculpture of Temari of the Sand. In that incomprehensible moment of stagnation of time, a terrifying dynamics took place. She didn't move. Her face didn't move. Without moving, it grew colder and colder, and her eyes – they were dying. The bright teal he probably imagined, since it was darkness surrounding them, faded into black and white hues. Her forever sly mouth became nothing but a straight line, framed by pale lips.

And time passed. In reality, it could not have been more than five seconds. In his mind, they stood like that for an eternity, like being trapped in a genjutsu and unable to break through.

What was needed to break the spell was her voice, and he practically flinched as she finally spoke. It was husky, lifeless, dry.

"Are you sure it was him?"

And he was forced to throw another stone at her. "Yes." His voice was not very different from hers, he figured, and his throat felt like there was sand on his vocal chords.

Temari inhaled deeply, held her breath for a few seconds, and let it all out, her eyes simultaneously following a moth, that flapped his dark wings into the light of the lamp, finally reaching the bulb, and falling down lifeless the next second.

"Thank you." She looked back up to him – Temari was back. The normality was back. The noises of the forest surrounded them, her eyes shone brightly again, and though her face remained emotionless, she was _alive_.

"What are you going to do?" He asked silently as she passed him, slowly walking towards the woods, to an opposite direction than her booth was. The air she moved walking next to him smelled of her perfume.

Temari looked over her shoulder and rammed her bright eyes into his worried ones. She gave him a small, reassuring smile. "You don't need to worry about me, Shikamaru."

And she walked away.

He still stood there.

He was wrong. She walked straight, her pace confident, not a tremble in her eyes neither voice, he realized he didn't crush her. It was hard and painful, but it didn't crush her. No, she was too strong to be crushed, ever, by anyone or anything. After all, she laughed at the world with her head up, lungs filled with inner joy, and eyes – with passion. And just like he had no idea what was going through her mind right now, she had no idea how he marveled at her ways.

* * *

Those of you who did not know yet - **Shikatema is officially a canon in manga**, which I couldn't believe until saw for myself and then practically fell of my chair. What I wanted to say thought that I am not planning to adapt this story perfectly with what is happening in Kishimoto's manga/anime - as you probably noticed, Tsunade is still Hokage here even post-war. Why? Because reasons. Hope you will not be too mad about that - it's not what Waiting game is about anyway.

Can you feel how heavy this is getting? I love it. Hope you do too.

Sweet dreams,

Cafe


	15. Chapter 15

- XV -

Temari stared into Shikamaru's eyes mesmerized.

For the first time in her life she felt like she caught a glimpse of how he was said to feel always: able to think of hundreds of different plans.

She didn't want to break that moment, for there was some magical connection between their eyes, as if he had lent her some of his brainpower, and now her mind, by its own, was creating a countless number of scenarios of how she can get her revenge.

She could kill Hayato. Silently, from behind his back, slit his throat without him ever suspecting a thing. But it was clear that she would not let him go that easy. She could smash his skull with her fist after informing him what she found out. She was fully capable. She could run him into the woods and slice him with her wind. That was closest to her nature, but too clean. Or stab him and watch while he bleeds – yet not creative enough. Or simply tell Kankurou. As if she would ever let him have all the fun.

Or she could do something and then let him live with a subtle reminder. Cutting off his balls. Or dick. Or both. Or hands and feet. Or stabbing his eyes, after cutting his dick. And tearing off his tongue, definitely tearing off that sly, lying tongue.

Possibilities were building by itself, growing like a tree with branches made of ideas, and their sprouts – of variations of that idea, tangling into a massive net of revenge plan.

She didn't feel hurt. She should have, but she didn't. She was never like most girls, but such a reaction – feeling hurt – after you find out your significant other is cheating on you – was expected and natural. However, Temari couldn't find even a trace of it inside herself. And even if she did, she knew she would NOT be sitting somewhere crying and feeling sorry for herself, asking "How could he have done something like this to me" or "Was I not good enough".

But Hayato actions _humiliated_ her.

And she was not about to let that slide. She gave herself fully to that man, even though her intuition told her to let a one-night-stand to remain a one-night-stand. And now she sulked for letting his perseverance win over her intuition. For once in her life she let her guard down, and started trusting someone as much as she trusted her brothers, and sometimes even more than that – and what she got back was a tirade of "I love you" of questionable-worth, many many complaints, nasty lies, and finally – infidelity.

Her feet eventually made their way to her hut, and she silently entered, settling on the chair, facing the bed. Her tessen rested against the wall behind her, her hand rested on the table, next to two kunai ready, both sharpened by him. In the darkness and deafening silence, her eyes didn't wander away from the figure on the bed, hands spread to the sides, sheet crumpled at his waist, his chest rhythmically moving with every breath. She sat comfortably leaning into the chair, one leg resting on top of another, but her whole body was tense, her veins oozed with adrenaline and she could hear her heartbeat on top of her heavy breaths.

Temari knew she couldn't kill him. If she did, she would never find out _who was the girl. _Unless Shikamaru saw her well enough to recognize, but she really didn't want to involve him any deeper. She was grateful for opening her eyes, but coming to him again about this was too much to ask.

So she sat here fighting a battle with her instincts that mercilessly encouraged her to end this, to end _him_ right here, right now, for managing to do to her what nobody else ever could. Her emotions argued that she was known to be cruel for a reason, and now was the time to justify that. But she resisted. She was stronger than that, strong enough not to let her emotions rule her actions, and despite everyone thinking she was impulsive when it came to issues that made her angry, she had to prove – not to anyone, but to herself only – that she was rational even with the things that made her _furious_.

Temari closed her eyes and buried the inner conflict within herself until the right time to bring it up again, hid her weapons, loosened her hair, undressed and slid under the sheets next to a disgusting human being that was her boyfriend. She laid on the very edge of the bed, as the thought of touching him was literally sickening, but managed to refrain from flinching when his hand wrapped around her waist, even though closing her eyes she saw how she pulls that hand and throws him over herself and on the ground, holding his arm so tightly the bone breaks, becoming a lever against the side of the bed when his body lands on the ground.

Naturally, she didn't sleep well, but the night was long enough to fully work through tomorrow's plan. She got up early and made herself some coffee, waiting for him to wake up. She informed him she will be busy as there will be many meetings about the results of the first week, and she will spend all day in the main building of the camp.

As she spoke, her eyes inspected him closely of any give away, both that he somehow found out that she knew what he has been doing, and also for any signs of different behavior that she might have missed before. But there was nothing, no change in his intonation, no nervous looks, no avoiding of her eyes, nothing. He was sleepy, lazy, quick to express his disappointment of her busyness, and cheerful, eagerly running to the door to give her a hug before she left. _Was I that blind or he just used to lying and pretending?_

There was no meeting that day, it was officially a day-off for everyone, and people have been doing whatever they wanted – sleeping till noon, taking a walk, doing sports or playing games. Temari was spying. She darted into the woods the second she made sure Hayato couldn't see her from their hut, and hid there, behind the trees and bushes, sometimes high up on the branch of a tree still surrounded by its leaves – always keeping her eyes on her ex-lover. He didn't come out for a longest time, probably falling back to sleep, then slowly crawled to the showers, taking forever in there too. Then – breakfast. Then – back to the hut until the lunch, after which he stood chatting with some guy from Konoha. He was showing his weapons, so Temari guessed it was nothing more than a consultation. Afterwards he headed back towards the cabin, but somewhere in the midway, it got suspicious.

Hayato looked around cautiously, and took a sharp turn right, reaching a cabin at the very side of the forest. He knocked and entered.

Temari's heart began beating fast. Finally, her pursuit was becoming fruitful, one may say. She made her way into the forest and reached the hut from behind, sneaking against the windowless wall. On the other side of it, if the interior was similar like in her own cabin, there should have been a bed. She gently rested her palms on the wood and placed the side of her face against it, closing her eyes and listening.

Surely. There was a sound of a bed, rocking slowly, but rhythmically against the wall, and muffled moans of a girl.

Temari smiled. She wasn't surprised a tiny bit as this was exactly what she expected to hear, and dedicating her whole day to this "mission" would have been so disappointing if it didn't end like this. She clenched her gloved hands, her fingers again pulsing with anticipation. They were trembling with excitement, and so was her heart, just like before the fight with Shikamaru. She was looking forward to it just like she impatiently waited now, until her boyfriend finished, which, as she knew very well, might not happen too soon.

All of her emotions pooled up inside her as she listened to the steady rocking; anger, hate, the feeling of being humiliated, together with victorious feeling of knowing about this while Hayato didn't know she knew. And as she heard the girl's scream simultaneously after her ex-boyfriend's moan – **_that bitch finished together with him_** – she clenched her teeth so hard her gums hurt, and slowly exhaled a heavy breath as her blood boiled in her veins. She felt as if she could punch a hole through a wall and straight through both of their skulls, which she probably would have done if she only had a pair of Hyuga eyes with the ability to see through obstacles.

Right now she didn't even try to suppress her emotions, only patiently waited until the right time to let them out, and couldn't think straight through the unstoppable static noise produced by her brain. Her pulse throbbed in her throat when she heard the doors opening; glimpsing around the corner she saw Hayato hastily walking back towards their cabin.

Temari closed her eyes and breathed.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

Nine.

Ten.

She could still distinguish Hayato's figure far away; hear a silent rumble inside the bitch's hut; see no people around it. Taking her time, she stepped around the corner and towards the porch of the cabin. Glancing through a window she saw _the girl_, and her lips spread into a widest smile, and whoever saw her right now would think she was insane – her eyes definitely looked crazy. For the girl was the bitch from the Sound.

Temari didn't knock. She opened the door forcefully and it banged against the wall loud, making _the bitch_ jump and turn around surprised.

"Hi." Temari smiled. Her eyes looked as if she was about to eat _the bitch_, and _the bitch_ saw that. Her eyes grew wide with realization that they – she – was caught.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice was equally furious, but it lacked the force. Her eyes burnt with rage, but what was missing was the excitement. The main difference between two was the fear. Temari didn't feel any. While _the bitch_ tried to hide it, but the sand nin could practically feel it radiating.

She closed the door and unclasped her tessen, taking her time resting it against the door. _The bitch_ didn't move – just like Temari predicted. She slowly took off her gloves, smiling at _the bitch_. She wanted to feel every single hit she was about to land on that pathetic long face.

The second before she leaped she thought how lucky she was for learning taijutsu with Lee; it did not only help her win against Nara, it empowered her to reach satisfaction in a new, unknown way of beating the shit out of someone senselessly.

* * *

Before reaching for a door knob Temari slid her hands back into her gloves, hiding literally blue knuckles and fingers. Looking at them and feeling the pain every time she moved her fingers made her feel good, and she chuckled at the masochistic way of making herself happy. Maybe she was going insane after all?

She found Hayato sitting on the chair with a cup of tea, reading some book. He looked over his shoulder rather surprised.

"Though you'd be back late."

But he stood up, as always, and came closer to kiss her on the cheek. Temari clenched her teeth in disgust of his lips touching her skin, smelling of his just-sprayed cologne that he probably tried to mask the smell of his previous activities. She raised her hands around his neck, and Hayato wrapped his own around her waist, assuming she was in for a hug. But what he didn't see coming was her knee, that suddenly rose up in such speed and force, that he blacked out for a second when it reached its target, waking up to find himself falling down with paralyzing pain between his legs and lungs, unable to inhale any air.

"What-the-fuck…"

"I nicely suggest you pack your things in the upcoming minute, hand me your set of keys, and leave. If you are smart, you will avoid me for the rest of your or my life – for your own good."

With her hands crossed under her breasts, she stood before the kneeling pathetic excuse of a man, powerfully looking down on him with a set of cold, cruel eyes that sometimes used to be warmly smiling at the same man, as it appears – vainly. She was calm and rational, fully capable of keeping her loathing under control – probably because she had just unloaded her emotions on a certain someone. She was back to herself, being the confident, independent, composed shinobi she was. But what her now-ex muttered next left her truly surprised.

"What are you talking about?"

She almost laughed at his question.

"Really?"

"Really what? What is the meaning of this?" He somehow stood up, grabbing a chair for a balance, but pain still left his face sulky. "Why the hell did you just kick me, are you out of your mind?"

Temari stared at him and tried to decide whether he was that stupid or simply pretended to be. At this point, she didn't care either way. The only thing she wanted was for him to leave.

"Hayato, I know you've been cheating, I followed you today. You can now stop lying, and, as I said, pack your shit and leave. Now."

She watched amused as Hayato's face becomes longer and longer, his eyes widen, and lips press into a thin line.

"It is me who should be breaking up then, not you." He straightened up and spilled. "You were the first to cheat on me. What I did was solely out of revenge. I couldn't let you go even after what you have done, because I love you, Temari!"

Now it was Hayato who watched the change of Temari's face. Her eyebrows rose up, eyes widened, lips separated, but only to form into a stupid-surprised grin one would make at somebody who was talking a complete nonsense.

"…what?"

"We both know you've been cheating with that Nara! When you were in Konoha for that week and now, at the camp. You tried nicely to lie your way out of this but I never believed you."

"Oh, so you believed my brother who fucking hates your guts when he told you I was cheating – something he had no chance of knowing, by the way – but didn't believed me, and then decided to revenge me by cheating, even though you had no proof that I was actually cheating? Listen, Hayato, now you got me really curious – are you really this dumb, or you're just pretending?"

The answer was all over his face. How did she not see it before? There was shame in his eyes, the same he had the first time she explained she wasn't cheating, back in Suna, the same one after the conflict the other day at the camp. He _did_ believe she was cheating. Whether he cheated only out of revenge or something else altogether didn't really matter anymore.

Temari should probably be angry at Kankurou – really, majorly angry – as he was the main reason her relationship just ended, as it appears. Yet on the other hand, she should be grateful. Her brother showed her so clearly what kind of boyfriend she had found for herself, and the way Hayato responded to provocation only proved what he was worth. Yes, she was grateful. But Kankurou will never know of that.

"Listen, do me a last favor – leave. I'm tired of looking at you."

"Temari…"

"You know, I'm even more tired of listening to you. Get out, now."

"Temari! Don't do this!"

"You did this all by yourself and you know it. This is the last time I say – LEAVE."

"But I really love you! Plea…" She shut him up with a punch. _How many more people am I going to punch today?_

"You don't get to use those words, Hayato."

And that was it. He gave up. Without saying a word, he grabbed his bag, tucked his belongings, and made his way towards the door while she stood in his way, extending a hand. He didn't dare to look up to her eyes.

"Keys." Temari was not planning to come back to Suna to find him in the apartment they rented. She wanted no sight of him ever again and if that meant packing his things and sending them to the old man Tanaka, so be it – it was better than ever letting him step in any place near herself.

He took the set out of his bag, glanced at her hand, and lifted up his repentant gaze into Temari's eyes, checking one last time for any forgiveness, but there was nothing for him there. He placed the keys onto her palm, and passed her, lightly brushing his arm against her shoulder. The move that once sent ripples of passion through her now urged her to back off in disgust.

* * *

Heyyy,

so here it is, my next chapter. Don't know how about you reading it, but I got angry while writing it. Partly because of that it might have ended up a little erratic, but keeping in mind Temari's current condition that might even be a suitable thing - I hope.

Just to clear things up a little, this is happening directly after Shikamaru told her what he saw. In a way it's the same chapter, but I'm only switching perspective into Temari's point of view.

I hope you will enjoy this! It is a major event in the whole story after all :)

Kisses,

Cafe

P.S. What do you think of Temari's reactions, thoughts and actions? I re-read the story, and she seems a little mixed up - planning not to get ruled by her emotions but deciding not to fight those the next moment, or practically planning to kill her ex, yet letting him go almost unharmed? I tried to picture her really angry about humiliation, but not too crazy - she might be cruel and all, but she's still human and there was no way she'd kill someone so simply. I think I'll try to explain her behavior in the upcoming chapter, but your insight would be very valuable for me :}


	16. Chapter 16

- XVI -

"Do you know who might have known the Sound ninja? A girl presenting flutes in one of the booths?"

"No... why?"

Shikamaru's ears stretched instantly overhearing the conversation. He was chilling on one of the sofas in their meeting room, with Sakura and Lee on the other side of it chatting.

"She came to me an hour ago, beaten pretty badly. I had to sew her lip. And she refused to tell me who did this to her, I think she was really scared, and said she was leaving the camp today."

_"She will get into a fight much sooner, trust me" _Kankurou's words echoed through Shikamaru's brain and with that thought he forced himself to keep still instead of standing up abruptly and heading to her hut – what was his first instinct.

He furrowed his eyebrows and sank only deeper into the soft matter of a couch. At this point he could no longer pretend – the thing that he somewhat successfully did all this time. However, his "rational" mind found a worst possible occasion to inform him of the affection that he so thoroughly hid from himself. Right now, during the cocktail of emotions and many events that was this camp, when nothing was usual and everything was new, when there was no chance of laying back for a while to think logically about all this and consider all circumstances – this is when he figured out the answer behind _"Why do I care?"._

And because of so many reasons, there was nothing he could do right now, except continue to care, or stop it altogether. Neither choice was a right one or an easy one. So he simple didn't choose.

Shikamaru knocked.

The door opened soon, but not instantly. She wasn't expecting anyone. Seeing him, she widened the gap and he only had a second to take a look at her - lively eyes (that hadn't shed a tear), her usually strict features softened by loose, damp hair, thin black silk bathrobe, loosely held by a scarf around her waist, bare feet - before her hand extended towards him, grabbed the corner of his jacket, and pulled him in without saying a word.

Shikamaru closed the door behind him and Temari turned towards the table, but before she took a second step he grabbed her wrist. Truthfully, he was surprised she didn't yank it back. Temari only looked down at the unexpected touch, and rose a pair of questioning eyes, while he started at the bruises on her knuckles. Their eyes met. Her breath hitched.

The teal that didn't give away anything just a moment ago suddenly seemed to be searching for his reaction, but that might have been only his imagination, because next second she gently took back her hand with a small smile playing on her lips. She continued her way towards the table, and only then Shikamaru noticed a bottle of sake, one third of it already empty. Though Temari didn't even look a bit drunk, a change in her voice was apparent. It was a little husky, warm, and playful, she spoke with the smile never leaving her face.

"Drink with me."

That wasn't a question, it was an order. But expressed in such unusual way - without the bossy tone, without an angry look, with a slightly flirty smile and one seeing her could easily forget the recent events. But the pretty picture faded quickly in his mind and he could only guess how much pain, sadness and denial was behind those smiling bright eyes. He knew how hard was to gain her trust – she wasn't one of those easily affected and not everyone could get close to her; it probably took so much of her to give into that relationship and what that asshole did was break it all down and prove her trust was for nothing. And for a proud being as she was, her boyfriend having an affair behind her back had to be one of the most humiliating thing she experienced.

"I guess I don't need to ask why you're drinking on Sunday evening."

Shikamaru would have never thought her emotions were so easily readable with some alcohol in her veins. Temari's expression suddenly changed. The smile faded, her look became dead serious. She rammed her confident eyes into his, and a hand, holding a bottle, pointed a finger that poked right into his chest.

"It's not why you think!"

Shikamaru held back a chuckle that tickled his throat. Laughing of drunk Temari might be his number one mistake for all he knew.

"Why then?"

With that question her eyes slowly darted to the left and without saying anything, she took a gulp of sake, and, reaching the table, gracefully slit into the chair.

_Why did I expect her to fall heavily into it?_

It was apparent she didn't want to name the reason behind her open bottle, and left his question hang in the air in silence, up until he stepped out of his shoes and joined her at the table. After a long pause, she opened her mouth and proved his deduction wasn't as accurate as he thought.

"I fucked up, Shikamaru." Her eyes found his, as if certifying her lips were telling the truth.

Temari admitting she failed was something new to him, something very unexpected, and he started thinking what does she expect him to say. Was that the usual girls' plea for attention and in this case - consolation, where he should tell her she did not do anything bad and it's not her fault? The banality of that line made his brain itch. But it was unbelievable Temari would expect that, at least not the Temari he knew.

"Fucked up how?"

She inhaled deeply, and let out a slow, composed sigh. Her eyes wandered to the label on the bottle as she stuck her nail under the paper and began peeling it off. Her voice became silent.

"I beat her, badly."

What truly took him by surprise was the regret in her voice, almost unnoticeable tremble, and those eyes. This was without question a unique moment during all the years he knew Temari; he didn't move as not to shoo this somewhat magical moment away. Only then he figured she wasn't waiting for his words or consolations, her eyes searched for a _reaction_.

"Why?"

Yet his only reaction was a simple curiosity, and he watched as she relaxed. It wasn't apparent, but since he expected it, the slight descent of her shoulders, slow exhale through parted lips and a loosened grip around a bottle didn't go unnoticed.

"I snapped. I sneaked up on them. I recognized her. She was the girl who tried to provoke me in the beginning of the camp, exactly a week ago. Then I lost control. I-fucking-lost-control." She shook her head, seemingly unable to believe the words coming out of her mouth.

"Don't beat yourself up about it." Shikamaru met her eyes and the silence filled the space between them, while neither dared to look away. "It's all over now, isn't it?"

After a thought, her lips curled into a faintest smile and she pushed the bottle towards him, indicating the end of unpleasant topic.

Shikamaru stared at the colorless liquid_. Oh, fuck it._

Her expression clearly indicated that his compliance was yet another victory, and to that he took a second gulp before handing the bottle back to her, which she accepted gladly, taking another mouthful without bothering to get a glass or two.

Unintentionally this became a drinking competition and so Shikamaru took another pull without any expression appearing on his face; she followed with even better poker face, making you believe she's drinking water from the bottle filled with ugly-tasting mouth-warping alcohol. With the next hasty gulp some of sake somehow seeped onto his vocal chords and the coughing attack seized him, alcohol burning his throat, and his lungs seemed to be trying to expel all the air without getting back any. As it finally subsided, the lifted up his teary eyes only to see her own tears and a mouth open with a heartwarming laughter that she couldn't stop just like he couldn't stop his cough.

Shikamaru grabbed a cork and threw it straight to her face in revenge, joining her laugh as it hit her chin. It bounced back and instinctively she tried catching it, while leaning back on only two legs of the chair. Surely, the alcohol did its' trick and she didn't quite managed to hold the balance – next second she was falling back together with her chair, eyes wide and legs in the air. Lying down she almost literally screamed with laughter, clutching her belly with one hand and wiping her eyes with another; Shikamaru too found himself on the floor, kneeling, trying to crawl to her to help her back up but also paralyzed with the laughter and tears flooding his sight.

Her robe loosened even more during the fall and even with his watery eyes he couldn't help but notice her bare thighs, exposed by the fabric fallen somewhere around her hips. He did manage to crawl closer in a hope to help her up, but only got distracted by a black lace, peaking through a gap in her kimono's front.

Shikamaru took a hold of her arm and as they stood up together, his other hand sneaked on her waist without him really noticing himself; a move he was so used to, it happened naturally, just like how naturally his breath got heavy. Temari gazed into his eyes with unreadable look. She stepped back and tucked at the scarf holding her robe in place, seemingly trying to fix and tighten it, but he got that wrong. Next second she let the robe open up, flashing him with her lace covered breasts, a tempting waist and _those_ hips. One last look – and it was a look of a lioness about to attack and get what she wants – and her lips crashed heavily on his.

She was something he couldn't and didn't want to resist to. Her warm, half-naked body was pressing against his with stubbornness so characteristic of her, lean yet strong hands wrapped around his neck, pulling his head closer into the kiss. Her lips were full and soft, inviting to try them out in every angle he could think of; he slid his hand around her waist, pressing her against his own body; tangled his fingers in surprisingly soft, wavy blond hair. Her breath hitched as his palm ran across her belly, she passionately sighed into the kiss, simultaneously tucking her fingers behind his belt and pulling his hips towards her in a move so dirty.

Something unpleasant twinkled in the back of his mind, but it was quickly dispersed by her leg sneaking up between his, and gently resting against his crotch. He closed his eyes in passion so invincible, his fingers caressing the lines of her neck and clavicles, carefully tucking at the strap of her bra. Temari slid her hand into his hair, forcing him to lower his face and their lips joined again, interrupted by uneven breathing. Her tongue slid in, and he could swear he felt weak in his legs. She pushed him a few steps back until he hit the side of the bed; he couldn't remember how he fell but he found himself on the bed, and Temari crawling up on him.

_We can't do this. _

The previous _something_ finally formed itself into an understandable thought, yet so unpleasant it was also easily pushed away by a view of _her on top of him. _Temari leaned down for a kiss; his hands travelled by their own will on her thighs – soft, gentle skin on top of a hard muscle, widening almost magically into the curve of her hips. She sat right on top of him – and against his own lips he felt her smile, victoriously, no doubt, since she got the answer she knew she would get.

_We can't do this._

Since his body was not in agreement with the thought, Shikamaru found it unbelievably hard to pull his hands off her. He inhaled deeply as she kissed him again, gently grabbed her shoulders. As a mere inch emerged between their mouths, she expelled her shaky breath that already sounded almost like a moan. _A last one. _He pulled her closer and gave in to the kiss, his stomach already clutching painfully since he knew he had to back off.

_We can't do this. She just broke up._

With a loud, painful sigh Shikamaru gently pushed her shoulders. She sat straight, a little unsure of what was happening, half-lidded eyes darkened with desire, her breasts moving with each heavy breath. He closed his eyes.

"Stop it, we can't do this."

To that she only smiled slyly and rolled her hips around, grinding herself into him and Shikamaru flinched of sensation. Opening his eyes, he found her face dangerously close yet again, and her lips already inviting for another kiss.

Gathering whatever was left of his free will, he forced himself to push her away once more. Temari fought back, trying to catch his wrists to restrain his nonsensical moves, a sly smile still playing on her lips and he figured it's not going to be that easy. The feelings of doing something they should not be doing hit him in the face and he snapped.

"Temari, I'm not going to be your revenge fuck!"

She froze. Her eyes stared back into his but he couldn't see her clearly for it was dark, but the vibe in the room was already informative. With one swift move she lifted herself off him and stood up on the ground; he only noticed her hand clenching into a fist before she spoke.

"Get out."

Her voice was silent. There was something suspicious in it, something he couldn't decipher but he sure didn't like it. She wasn't simply angry, there was some edge, and as he stood up too, he didn't dare to touch her yet couldn't just leave without saying anything.

"Temari, I-"

"GET OUT."

Shikamaru closed the door realizing him staying there would only worsen whatever happened here. He took heavy steps away from her cottage, leaving it with uneasiness scratching at his chest. Even though his drunk mind couldn't think why what he said was so terrible, the feeling of majorly fucking up didn't leave him up until he opened his cabin's door.

He turned on the light and the first thing he noticed was a brown scarf on the bed. The one Mina knitted him for his last birthday.

His palms lifted up to cover his eyes and he pushed them hard against his face, brightly blinking lights already flashing in his eyes.

He figured the main reason of stopping what was happening between him and Temari was the fact that she just broke up and he did not want to become a tool of her revenge; but not the fact that there was his fiancée waiting at home.

_What the fuck am I doing?!_

* * *

Hey.

Please please please review, I'm dying to know what you all think!

Love,

Cafe


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